News : Vinton Police to begin using E85 exclusively

With the arrival of E-85 at Fast Stop in Vinton, the Vinton Police Department has begun using E-85 exclusively as its primary fuel for the Department's newer vehicles.

"Right now, our 3 newest cars are all E-85 compatible, and I have instructed our officers to use it exclusively, on a trial basis, so we can get a baseline of information to evaluate what our long-term cost savings could be", Vinton Police Chief Jeff Tilson said today. "With E-85 prices being at least $.50 per gallon less than even the 10% ethanol blend all government vehicles are currently required to use under state law, we hope for a significant savings in our annual fuel budget, but how much savings can be achieved depends on what effect the fuel has on the mileage our cars get the way we operate them" Tilson added.

Vinton Police starting moving from the V8 powered Ford Crown Victoria's to the smaller, V6 powered Chevy Impala's in 2005. The Ford's typically averaged between 7 and 9 mpg under the conditions the Police Department operated them, and the Chevy's have consistently averaged nearly double that, at 14-16 mpg. What effect the decreased mpg E-85 has is something Police don’t yet have any experience with.