E85 gas station comes to Hampton Roads

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Navy officially opened Hampton Roads' first E85 flex-fuel gas pump Friday.

The pump, located at the Navy Exchange Gas Station on Tomcat Boulevard, just outside the Naval Air Station Oceana main gate in Virginia Beach, is one of only three public-accessible E85 facilities in Virginia.

E85 is the term for motor fuel blends of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. To see if your vehicle is capable of running on E85, click here.

The pump at Oceana Exchange is the result of a public private venture contract between The Navy Exchange Service Command (NEXCOM) and Protec Fuel for the infrastructure development and supply of the ethanol-based alternative fuel.

The Navy says it operates the largest fleet of vehicles using alternative fuels in the state of Virginia and that this venture will provide the needed access to E85 fuel for the Navy's fleet of flex-fuel vehicles as well as to the general public.