Residents of Edgemere, Sparrows Point and nearby Dundalk and Essex now have a new gas station location to purchase ethanol free fuel from. Hob’s Carroll Motor Fuels, located at 7115 North Point Road (right across from Edgemere Elementary School) now has one pump dedicated to pure petro, at 89 octane. Typical gas station blends have 10% ethanol content.
Out of the thousands of gas stations all around Maryland, only 97 (at the time of this article’s publication) offer 0% ethanol free (also known as E0, pronounced E Zero) gasoline, according to Pure-Gas.org. Of those, many are located on the waterways, because boat motors need the higher quality fuel. This make Hob’s very unique for Baltimore County, Maryland. This gas does come at a premium, currently $4.16 (rounded up) per gallon compared to regular unleaded 87 octane, which was $3.44 (if paid with cash) at the Hob’s CMF Edgemere location.
Why would a consumer choose more expensive gas over the typical 10% blend? According to some documents floating around the web, ethanol-free gas offers better mileage per gallon, is less harmful to older car and truck engines, it doesn’t go “stale” as quickly, and if more people bought ethanol-free gas, corn crop prices could drop. Ethanol also can prematurely rust engine parts, because its properties attract moisture.
Gas powered tools like chainsaws, lawnmowers and leaf blowers as well as rarely used motorcycles also benefit from ethanol-free gasoline.
Unfortunately, E0 does come with its downsides. Pollution/emissions are worse, newer engines that are designed for ethanol blends may not see a large benefit and as noted above, a higher ticket price. For those who want “pure octane” in the Southeast area, it’s now available a lot closer than Pete’s Cycle in White Marsh or the tractor place in Hunt Valley.
