FAQs

How does the Conversion System function?
Aussie Ethanol conversion systems contain an intelligent electronic manager run by microprocessors and software that control the vehicle’s stoichiometry (air/fuel mixture), in association with the lambda probe. Our system bypasses the fuel injector connection, and connects directly into the original fuel injector harness and to the fuel injectors.

When operating on E85, or any combination of ethanol and petrol, your engine needs an adjusted amount of fuel to be injected into the engine to keep the air/fuel mixture in the optimum zone. This is done by the system’s computer chip, which gives a linear increase of on time to the fuel injectors (timeframe that the fuel injectors are open). 

Once installed, the system continuously monitors your vehicle’s engine emissions and adjusts supplemental fuel injection through the O2 Sensors, which allows your vehicle to operate at optimal performance running on unleaded petrol, ethanol, or any combination.

Can Aussie Ethanol’s E85 Conversion Kits be installed in any vehicle?
The Aussie Ethanol conversion kit can be installed in any vehicle with a multi-port and sequential fuel injection system.

Is ethanol good for my car?
Yes! E85 performs in much the same way that regular unleaded petrol does, and actually surpasses regular petrol in key performance categories. Your vehicle will run cleaner, cooler and stronger on E85, and will increase the engine life on your car.

How does ethanol-blended fuel benefit the environment?
Ethanol is a much cleaner burning fuel than regular unleaded petrol, offering a significant reduction in carbon monoxide and hydrocarbon tailpipe emissions. Research in the USA shows that every city and state that has switched to ethanol-blended fuel has experienced improved air quality. 

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, in 2005 alone ethanol-blended fuels reduce CO2-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions by 7.8 million tons; this has the effect of removing the annual GHG emissions of more than 1 million automobiles from the road. Additionally, ethanol-enriched fuels reduce tailpipe emissions of volatile organic compounds, which readily form ozone in the atmosphere. Thus, the use of ethanol plays an important role in smog reduction.

How is ethanol is driving up prices at the Supermarket store?
The role of corn, wheat or suger cane and ethanol in grocery prices has been grossly exaggerated by critics who have much to gain in keeping ethanol's potential limited. Research shows that energy prices have at least twice the impact as produce prices in the grocery aisle.
Produce prices, made higher lately in part due to ethanol demand, do have some impact on foods in which corn is an ingredient - namely meat, dairy, and poultry. However, energy prices (spiking with oil reaching all time highs), have a much more dramatic impact on food prices because all foods are dependent upon this expensive energy for processing, packaging, and transportation. 

What does "net energy balance" mean? What is ethanol's energy balance?
Net energy balance is a term used to describe how much energy is needed to produce a product versus how much energy that product provides. Two professors that are long-time critics of ethanol claim that ethanol has a negative energy balance, but this is simply not true and has been debunked again and again by science. 

Scientific study after study has proven ethanol's energy balance to be positive. The latest USDA figures show that ethanol made from the dry mill process provides at least 77% more energy as a fuel than the process it takes to make it. The bottom line is that it takes about 35,000 BTUs (British Thermal Units) of energy to create a gallon of ethanol, and that gallon of ethanol contains at least 77,000 BTUs of energy. 

The National Resources Defense Council calls corn ethanol "energy well spent." The net energy balance of ethanol is simply a non-issue. Many new ethanol plants are looking for better more efficent methods of ethanol production, such as algae and other waste products.

Is ethanol using up produce that should be used for human food?
In the so-called "food vs. fuel" debate, one major misconception is that the majority of the corn grown in the U.S. goes directly for human consumption. This is not the case. Actually, only about 9 percent of U.S. corn is used for human consumption in products like cereals, sweeteners, etc. The main uses for U.S. corn are for livestock feed or for export, with the industrial uses category (including ethanol) making up a smaller percentage. As ethanol refining switches from corn-based processes to cellulosic, this debate will no longer be relevant.

How do I install the system?
The installation is simple and is made using connectors, without cutting wires and without interfering in the vehicle originality. Consumers with a basic automotive understanding of fuel injectors can do installation. 

However, we recommend that a professional mechanic installs the product. Aussie Ethanol offers live phone support to our customers and/or their mechanic. Most installations can be done in less than 45 minutes. For a quick visual overview on the installation process, please review our website.

What is the warranty period?
The Aussie Ethanol  convestion kit is manufactured in the USA by Xpertech also known as White Lightning. White Lightning’s warranty period is 5 years, in accordance with the clauses, terms, exclusions and restrictions set forth in the warranty certificate. Click here, to review the warranty terms.

Will installing a conversion kit in my car affect my new car warranty?
It is correct that the installation of any after-market product can void the respective part of your manufacturer’s warranty. For example, if you add an after-market device to your brake system, you could potentially lose the brake-system part of the warranty.

If you contact the corporate headquarters of a car manufacturer, they will definitely tell you that the respective part of the warranty will be voided. However, from White Lightning's experience with dealerships – and they have consulted with numerous dealerships on this specific issue – dealerships do not have any interest in voiding their own customer’s warranty, unless there is blatant evidence that the after-market device directly caused the problem.

This being said, evidence through example -- of the vast number of vehicles on the road in Brazil , the USA and Europe which use E85 conversion kits without any issues -- prove that it is safe to convert your car to run on E85.

Will ethanol hurt my car’s fuel system?
No. Ethanol-enriched petrol can actually help absorb moisture in a fuel system and help prevent frozen fuel lines in the winter. With an ethanol-enriched gasoline, there’s no need to add a de-icer in the winter. Ethanol is also a solvent, and will keep injectors and other components clean. 

Does petrol enriched with ethanol burn hotter?
No. Ethanol increases the octane rating of regular petrol, which means it burns more smoothly and slightly cooler. A gallon of 10 percent ethanol-enriched petrol contains about 112,000 BTU of heat energy, compared to 114,000 BTU for straight unleaded petrol.

If I have a petrol vehicle and convert it to run on E85, can I damage my engine?
No. There are currently over 50,000 vehicles on the road using E85 Conversion Systems to burn alcohol fuels. There have been no reports of engine damage due to the conversion system or running on ethanol.

In fact, burning alcohol instead of petrol has been shown to decrease engine oil contamination and extend engine life. Alcohol burns cooler than unleaded petrol providing additional benefits in terms of engine life and performance.

Is ethanol corrosive?
While ethanol is corrosive, it is not corrosive to the components on your car. This is evidenced by the fact that factory built Flex Fuel Vehicles and non-FFV’s have all the same engine parts.

Does the conversion system change the vehicle originality?
No. The installation does not alter the originality of a vehicle. The system plugs into the vehicle’s existing wiring harness without cutting or splicing. It can be easily removed leaving your car completely unaltered.

Is it hard to start your vehicle on E85 in cold weather? 
No. Our conversion kit provides easy starting even in cold weather. In extremely cold conditions, it can require 2 key turns to turn on the ignition. If you do experience some cold start issues, the conversion system can be adjusted to a higher (richer) setting. 

E85 in very cold climates: how about cold starts?
Our kit does not have a cold start feature. Relative to cold start, our kit automatically gives added fuel during ignition by increasing the fuel injectors' on-time.  Without this added fuel, the system would not work in cold weather.  That being said, E85 (like diesel & bio-diesel) does not work as well as petrol in extremely cold weather.  This is the result of using ethanol, regardless of whether you are using any type of conversion kit, or even if you have a new flex-fuel vehicle.  In the winter, petrol stations actually blend E85 at 70% ethanol/30% gas to minimise this problem.  Typically, the worst case scenario (even in extremely cold conditions) is that your car may require 2 or 3 key turns.

We are aware that some of our competitors offer a cold-start-option, however from what he hear, this feature does not work as well as intended, or even worse than without any additional feature. We are currently in research and development for a cold-start-feature, but as of yet don´t have a feature market-ready that fulfills our technological standards.

What if I sell my car?
The system can be easily removed leaving the car unaltered. The unit may be reused on any compatible vehicle with the same number of cylinders and fuel injectors.

Will I lose power from using E85 in my car?
No. Because E85 has a higher octane (typically around 105) rating than most automotive grade petrol (between 87 – 93) your vehicle will deliver more horsepower and a resulting power increase. This is evidenced by the Indy Racing Series, which runs exclusively on ethanol. If you currently use regular unleaded petrol you should notice a significant boost in horsepower. 

Now in Australia, the V8 Super Cars have named E85 as the official fuel for 2009, with several teams already running trials and converting thier vehicles.



How much will my mileage be affected?
In regards to the MPG loss, our own research and our customer's experience has shown a MPG loss of 2-20%, with about 12% being the average. This loss in MPG is not a result of the kit, but is due to ethanol in general regardless of the type of kit or if you had a new flex-fuel vehicle. It is likely, depending where you’re located, the per-litre-price savings will mostly offset by your loss in MPG and you will have a net savings over petrol.  Keep in mind that your car will have a longer engine life from running on E85 and you will also see an increase in power of approximately 5%.

The standard increase is 13.5%, but there is a potentiometer on the device to slightly increase or decrease the amount of fuel; this is based on the needs of your car.  When running on just petrol, your car's computer rejects this extra fuel.  When on E85, it utilises the extra fuel.  There is no loss in MPG when running on petrol, but there is typically a 10 - 15% loss in MPG when using E85.  This loss in MPG is not a result of the kit, but is due to ethanol in general regardless of the type of kit or if you had a new flex-fuel vehicle.

Generally speaking ethanol performs better when placed under higher compression and therefore vehicles with higher compression engines as well as those fitted with a turbo get better results from running on E85. In some cases, notably turbo engine,s there is an increase in mileage from converting to E85.

What is the resulting difference of digital technology vs. analog?
The primary advantage of Aussie Ethanol’s digital system is that it gets significantly better mileage than its analog competitors. 

What is cellulosic ethanol?
Cellulosic ethanol is the future of the ethanol industry. It is merely ethanol produced through a differing refinery process. Cellulosic refining has the ability to reduce green house gases by up to 91%, significantly reduce the ethanol energy output/input ratio, and is capable of being produced on a commercial level throughout the world. 

Cellulosic ethanol can be refined using such products as wheat and barley straw, sugarcane or rice bagasse, sawdust, paper pulp, small diameter trees, dedicated energy crops such as switchgrass and other perennial grasses, and even municipal waste or household garbage. 


What kinds of ethanol-blended fuels are available?
Ethanol can be blended into varying percentages in petrol; the two most common blends are E85 (85% ethanol/15% petrol) and E10 (10% ethanol/90% petrol). 


Can ethanol blends be used in small engines, such as boats, lawnmowers, or chainsaws?
Yes - manufacturers of small engines realise that up to a 10% blend of ethanol is very common in petrol, so they make their engines compatible with this fuel. Furthermore, conversion kits can be installed on boats, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. that will enable the vehicle to run on E85.


Can my vehicle run on E85 even if it's not an FFV?
If your vehicle is not an FFV or a converted FFV, use of any percentage of ethanol higher than 10% is not recommended. The American Coalition for Ethanol believes it may be possible to use blends beyond 10% ethanol in standard automobiles and is currently conducting research on this topic.