Sweet sugar

Christian Century, Nov 1, 2005

SWEET SUGAR: So-called "flex cars" have computerized sensors that adjust to whatever fuel is in the tank--gasoline, alcohol or some mix of the two. They're very popular in Brazil, where over 60 percent of new autos have this flexibility. Unlike in the U.S., where hybrid cars sell at a premium price, flex cars in Brazil cost the same as standard, gasoline-run cars.

While flex engines consume 25 percent more ethanol per mile than gasoline, the alcohol costs about a third to half as much as gas. Ethanol burns more cleanly, and it helps cane, beet, wheat and com farmers, from whose crops the alcohol comes. There are about 4 million flex cars in the U.S., but there are 14 states without any ethanol pumps (Christian Science Monitor, October 7).