High's Begins Sale of Renewable Fuels With Plans to Expand

BALTIMORE — In an effort to give customers a larger variety of fuel options and more value at the pump, High's introduced lower emissions E85 flex fuel and 88 octane at its Jessup, Md., convenience store.

Situated at 2863 Jessup Road, this is the first of High's 48 locations to introduce the fuel options. The retailer plans to add E85 and 88 octane products to more stores in the future.

High's worked with Protec Fuel to fulfill customers' need for the fuel blends.

"After discussing the potential and the rapidly increasing demand from our customers with Protec Fuel, this was a simple decision," said Ben Phelps, vice president of business development. "We are continuously listening to feedback from our customers. Our goal is grow and efficiently meet our customers' wants."

E85 — also known as flex fuel — is used in flex fuel vehicles, which make up approximately 10 percent of the cars on the road in Maryland, according to High's. They are often identified with a badge on the trunk, a yellow gas cap or another label.

With 15 percent ethanol, 88 octane is a cleaner fuel with lower emissions at a value price. All regular unleaded vehicles built since 2001 are Environmental Protection Agency-certified to use the fuel.

In 2012, Carroll Independent Fuel Co. acquired High's, which is headquartered in Baltimore.