Car makers across the country are unanimous that raising of ethanol blending in the fuel should be delayed until further testing of the vehicles. Currently, 10% Ethanola is mixed in the automotive fuel to allow more use of this bio fuel. Now the government is proposing to increase this to 15%, which the car makers are opposing. They are justifying their demand by giving data they have collected by testing the cars on 15% ethanol mixture. They say that half of the cars run on 15% mixture developed troubles, and the car engines became too hot.

Environmental Protection agency has been suggesting an increase in ethanol since last year. Ethanol industry is in favor of the new ruling as it says it will lessen the burden of importing oil from foreign countries. They say that the cars will have no problem in running on 15% ethanol mixture and this is just a ploy by the car manufacturers to hold on to their market share. Bob Dinneen, who is the president of the renewable fuels association, says that enough experimental runs have been conducted so far and they suggest that the cars run fine on 15% ethanol mixture as well.

Ethanol lobby is insisting on implementing the provision as the production of Ethanol has been increasing steadily and they want it all to be consumed in cars. Since there is disagreement between all three parties, representatives from all three will hold discussions in Washington on Wednesday to find a way out. Given the stance of the three, it is very unlikely that a consensus is going to emerge.

Oil companies, car makers and the ethanol producers are conducting tests in a joint fashion to see the effects of a 15% ethanol mixture on car engines.

General Motors spokesperson, on behalf of the grand alliance of the automobile manufacturers said that half of the engines that were tested on 15% ethanol mixture developed some kind of problem. According to him, more ethanol sends confusing signals to the car exhaust systems of the cars and thus car engines become too hot. This alliance wants the government to wait until 2011, until more testing is completed to see the effects of a 15% ethanol mixture on the cars.

Modern cars have an exhaust system that senses the fuel for oxygen. If more ethanol is added, it gets confused with the leaner fuel, as ethanol molecule contains one more oxygen atom, thus making the car engines too hot.