A convenience store chain in six mid-Atlantic states, Sheetz Convenience Stores, said it will offer E15 at 60 of its fuel stations in North Carolina by spring 2016. Based in Altoona, PA, Sheetz said it would begin installing equipment early this year to dispense E15, a blend of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline. “E15 is another way for us to give our customers a new alternative fuel option,” said the company. Sheetz operates nearly 500 stations in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio and North Carolina.
The EPA approved E15 in January 2011 as a fuel for automobiles and light trucks built in 2001 and afterward. “This approved group of vehicles includes more than 80% of the cars, trucks and SUVs on the road today. What is more important is the fuel consumed by these vehicles constitutes more than 80% of the unleaded fuel sold,” said the biofuels trade group Renewable Fuels Association. RFA said E15 is on the market in 15 states. Another biofuels group, Growth Energy, said E15 sells for 5 to 10 cents less than regular unleaded gasoline and is a higher-octane fuel.