Current Ethanol Vs. Gas Prices (5/04/12)

Tracking gasoline prices versus ethanol prices. The pink line is commodity price of ethanol (which has less efficiency than gas, E-0). The green line line adjusts for this lower efficiency, allowing an "Apples to Apples" comparison with the commodity RBOB price of gas (the blue line). The red line is the average retail price of gasoline in U.S.

As of May 4, 2012 -- ethanol is about 16¢ per gallon more expensive than gasoline on a wholesale price comparison.

Data Sources:
Per numerous Sources (DOE, EPA), E-10 (10% ethanol) has ~3% less efficiency than E-0 (zero ethanol). Ethanol on a "net basis" has less BTU content, but higher octane.

-- Wholesale Ethanol prices (pink line) are from the Chicago Board of Exchange.
-- Wholesale Gasoline prices (blue line) are from the Chicgo Board of Exchange.
-- Retail Gasoline prices (red line) are from Bloomberg's survey of national gas prices.