U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science

“ Ethanol, however, has a higher octane rating than gasoline — about 113 for ethanol compared to 87 for regular gasoline. The higher the octane rating, the better a fuel is at preventing engine "knocking" caused by inefficient fuel combustion. In other words, the higher-octane fuel provides better performance because it is used more efficiently to generate power rather than heat. If engines were optimized to take advantage of the higher octane rating of ethanol, they could achieve fuel economy more similar to that of gasoline engines. ”

“ Biodiesel is readily used by vehicles with diesel engines. In 2005, about 75 million gallons of biodiesel were produced, tripling the 25 million gallons produced in 2004.
What are current levels of gasoline and diesel consumption? In 2004, the United States consumed about 140 billion gallons of gasoline, more than any other country. Consumption averages about 380 million gallons of gasoline per day in 2004 and is reaching 400 million gallons per day in 2006. The 3.4 billion gallons of ethanol produced in 2004 represent about 2% of gasoline consumption. ”

“ A commercial industry based on converting cellulosic biomass to ethanol does not yet exist in the United States, however, the technology is ready to be deployed in pilot or demonstration facilities. Iogen Corporation, a biotechnology company in Canada, operates the largest demonstration facility, which annually produces about one million gallons of cellulosic ethanol from wheat straw. ”

“ The United States primarily imports crude oil but also imports petroleum products including finished motor gasoline, aviation fuel, and fuel oil. The United States imported about 15 billion gallons of finished motor gasoline and gasoline-blending components in 2004. ”