E85 accessibility spreads across the US

The 85% ethanol blend is now cropping up in areas outside of the Midwestern states, where it first appeared.

Despite Minnesota remaining the largest state to provide E85 at its pumps, the number of Midwest stations selling E85 dropped to 36% last year, down from 54% in 2007.

The number of E85 stations, which stood at 1,229 in 2007, more than doubled last year to 2,625, according to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA).

As the government strives towards the increased availability of a 15% ethanol blend (a 5% increase from today's current petrol requirements), petrol stations offering E85 in New York and California have grown more than six times in size over the past seven years.

Currently, one in 50 petrol stations offer the E85 biofuel.