With the onset of electric and hybrid vehicles entering the U.S. automobile industry, gasoline demand – and, therefore, ethanol – could take a drop. Will ethanol continue to be a shot in the arm for the U.S. corn industry? According to Ben Brown, an ag economist at the University of Missouri, the current state of the ethanol industry is “mature” as no new investments in new plants are taking place.

According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, gasoline demand will be lower than 2021 levels by 2037, signaling a declining need for liquid fuels. And of the three main markets for corn, ethanol shows the lowest growth potential compared to feed and residual, and exports. However, it’s not just the U.S. leveraging the domestic ethanol supply. USDA reports 53% of the world’s ethanol is produced by the U.S., causing Brown to predict ethanol to be an ongoing bright spot for the industry as other countries seek to lower carbon emissions.

Read more on the future of ethanol here.