The E15 sales in January, as reported by the Minnesota Department of Commerce, is the highest ever recorded in a single month since the introduction of E15 in 2013.

Moreover, E15 sales in January was more than half the total volume sold in 2014 which was 257,855 gallons. Since the fourth quarter of last year, more stations have begun offering E15.

In January, there were 18 stations in Minnesota that were selling E15, of which 11 are located in the Twin Cities metro area.

For comparitive purposes, in December 2014, total sales volume for E15 was 31,180 gallons.

Besides E15, sales of other blends grew in January too. The sales volume of both E30 and E20 were at 22,304 gallons (Dec 2014: 17,550 gallons) and 12,769 gallons (Dec 2014: 11792 gallons) respectively.

Sales of E85 in January, however, was lower in comparison to December 2014 as the price differential between regular E10 and E85 narrowed considerably following record low gasoline prices.

In January, E85 sales totaled 847,745 gallons as the average price differential with E10 fell to 22 cents a gallon. Still, we can expect to see a higher volume for E85 in February as the price differential with E10 would have widened. In February, gasoline prices trended upwards while ethanol prices dropped.