Some have accused Colorado Springs leaders of being reactionary and hidebound. Well, that may or may not be true, depending on your political philosophy.

But Wednesday, city leaders certainly had their feet — and their gas nozzle — planted in the 21st century.

In a short news conference, Mayor Lionel Rivera and Colorado Springs Utilities CEO Jerry Forte jointly fueled a police cruiser from the city’s first ethanol, or E85, fuel pump at the city’s fleet facility. The pump will fuel the city and utility’s 92 flex-fuel vehicles.

The embrace of E85 — a mix of 85 percent ethanol distilled from corn and 15 percent gasoline — came the same day the City Council and the utility said they would use conservation and renewable energy to delay the need for another coal-fired power plant.

In July, the city fleet division marked another enviro-friendly milestone: It had pumped more than 1 million gallons of biodiesel into its fleet of 2,100 diesel vehicles, mostly larger trucks. The fuel is a mix of 20 percent biodiesel, primarily distilled from soybeans, and 80 percent diesel fuel.

Both alternative fuels burn cleaner than pure gasoline and diesel, and the city expects to reduce its carbon monoxide emissions by 2,500 tons a year.

Still, E85 has a major disadvantage. The fuel contains less energy than gasoline, which means an estimated mileage drop of 10 percent to 30 percent.

Consumer Reports magazine recently tested the fuel in a 2007 Chevrolet Tahoe and saw mileage drop from an already eco-unfriendly 14 mpg to 10 mpg; the magazine concluded that ethanol at its current price is no deal for consumers.

That test confirms other estimates that ethanol must be 28 percent cheaper than gas to make it competitive — and that is not the case today. On Thursday, ethanol at one of the six E85 pumps in the city was $2.679, compared with $2.799 for unleaded.

Even with its purchasing power, the city hasn’t cracked that cost differential. It has locked in a year’s fuel cost for E85 at $2.21 a gallon, compared with its unleaded fuel contract price of $1.96 a gallon.

Nick Kittle, fleet finance manager, said the city has seen mileage in some of its flex-fuel vehicles decline as little as 3 percent — but in others, as much as 30 percent.

“Overall, we end up almost even,” he said. “Some days (the cost is) higher, some days it’s lower.”

But Kittle said there are benefits beyond money. E85 vehicles emit 13 percent less greenhouse-gas emissions than gasoline vehicles, an important consideration for a city that owns 4,500 vehicles and burns through 2.5 million gallons of fuel a year. And if large fleets use alternative fuels, that frees up gasoline and diesel for other uses.

Utilities chief Forte said using E85 is much like using wind, hydro, natural gas and coal to supply electricity.

Besides the 42 flex-fuel vehicles it owns, the utility operates 29 vehicles on compressed natural gas, 13 hybrid vehicles and one all-electric car.

“The key is having a mix,” he said. “You can’t rely on one industry. Using different fuels is a hedge against whatever happens in the future with prices and regulations.”

Tell me your commuter tales: 636-0197 or bill.mckeown@gazette.com.