How does VW Flex work?
How does a VW Flex subscription work? A VW Flex subscription puts you in the driver’s seat of a late model year Volkswagen. This month-to-month program includes insurance, maintenance, and roadside assistance. A monthly fee will be charged to your credit card at the beginning of each month. Flexcar is a vehicle subscription service that allows consumers to rent a car on a month-to-month basis with included insurance and maintenance. Unlike traditional car rental companies that focus on short-term rentals, Flexcar markets itself as a flexible alternative to car ownership.
How does Flex really work?
Flex covers your monthly rent on the first, and you pay it back at your own pace throughout the month. What does it cost? There’s no scary interest rate with flex. Are there late fees? Flex doesn’t charge any late fees or missed payment fees.
What is a flex engine?
A flexible-fuel vehicle (FFV) or dual-fuel vehicle (colloquially called a flex-fuel vehicle) is an alternative fuel vehicle with an internal combustion engine designed to run on more than one fuel, usually gasoline blended with either ethanol or methanol fuel, and both fuels are stored in the same common tank. Using any octane level of gasoline in a flex-fuel vehicle is acceptable. The sensors in an FFV detect whether the fuel is pure gasoline or 85% ethanol and make necessary changes for optimal fuel injection and timing of combustion.E85 has an octane rating ranging from 100-105, making it a high performance fuel. In comparison, regular unleaded gasoline has an octane rating of 87.While ethanol burns cleaner, it also contains less energy than pure petrol. Thus, a flex-fuel car will use more fuel as compared to a conventional petrol car. However, the lower fuel prices of flex-fuel can help offset the costs of a lower mileage.Improved Performance. While some might argue that using an alternative fuel source can negatively impact a vehicle’s performance, in reality it can have the opposite effect. Flex-fuel vehicles don’t experience a loss in performance when using E85 fuel. In fact, some even generate increased torque and horsepower.Flex-fuel vehicles are those that have internal combustion engines designed to run on more than one type of fuel. Other than a few modifications to the engine and fuel system, says Kiplinger, flex-fuel vehicles are virtually identical to gasoline-only models. This technology isn’t new.
How to know if flex fuel?
But determining whether your truck runs on flex fuel is very simple: There is badging that says “flex fuel” on the rear of your truck. The gas cap is yellow and the words “flex-fuel vehicle” or “E85” appear on the inside of the fuel door. Your truck’s owner’s manual indicates it is a flex fuel vehicle. A label on the inside of the fuel door will also indicate the fuel type. You can also check for Flex Fuel or E85 badging on the vehicle, or take a look at the eighth character of the VIN.
Are flex-fuel engines good?
Improved Performance. While some might argue that using an alternative fuel source can negatively impact a vehicle’s performance, in reality it can have the opposite effect. Flex-fuel vehicles don’t experience a loss in performance when using E85 fuel. In fact, some even generate increased torque and horsepower. Can You Use Flex-Fuel in a Regular Gas Car? Flex-fuel, such as E85, can be used only in flex-fuel vehicles and will damage a traditional gasoline engine.What Are the Disadvantages of Flexible Fuel? Flex-fuel has a few downsides, as with any new technology. These include lower mileage, negative impact on crop prices, limited availability, and possible engine damage.Though technology exists to allow ethanol FFVs to run on any mixture of gasoline and ethanol, from pure gasoline up to 100% ethanol (E100), North American and European flex-fuel vehicles are optimized to run on E85, a blend of 85% anhydrous ethanol fuel with 15% gasoline.There are many flex fuel blends that provide almost the same MPG as regular gasoline. In fact, some flex fuel blends (with an ethanol content between 10% and 85%) can provide, in some cases, even better fuel economy than regular gasoline (according to Green Car Congress).
What fuel is best for flex-fuel vehicles?
Flex fuel vehicles can use E85 or regular unleaded; traditional gas engines cannot use E85 flex fuel. E85 costs around 60 cents less per gallon than regular gas, but vehicles using it travel fewer miles per gallon. Flex fuel can be more cost-effective than regular gasoline, depending on market prices. While the fuel economy of ethanol blends can be slightly lower due to ethanol’s lower energy content, the price per gallon of E85 is often cheaper than regular gasoline.While ethanol burns cleaner, it also contains less energy than pure petrol. Thus, a flex-fuel car will use more fuel as compared to a conventional petrol car. However, the lower fuel prices of flex-fuel can help offset the costs of a lower mileage.
Can you run regular fuel in a flex-fuel car?
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) have an internal combustion engine and are capable of operating on gasoline and any blend of gasoline and ethanol up to 83%. Yes, you can use regular gasoline in an FFV without any problems or causing damage to your engine. In fact, most FFVs will run just fine on unleaded gas.