Could higher-ethanol gas make older cars hard to keep running?

Those are separate questions. E15 is not automatically the only fuel available wherever it is sold. It is generally approved for cars from model year 2001 onward, while older vehicles should follow their manual or manufacturer guidance and avoid fuel labeled as unsuitable for them. Check what blends are actually sold in your area before assuming an older car will be left without an option.

The fuel detail by itself also does not show that a blend change is part of a plan to force people into newer cars. Claims about vehicle data collection or future rules need to be checked on their own, rather than inferred from ethanol content.

Ethanol has less energy per gallon than gasoline, so E15 can mean a small drop in miles per gallon compared with E10. The exact difference varies, and a lower pump price does not guarantee lower cost per mile. That is worth comparing, but it is different from saying the fuel will make an older car unusable.

Look at the pump label and your vehicle manual. If E15 is not approved for your car, use a compatible blend that is available locally.

I’d keep the two concerns in separate boxes. Fuel compatibility is something you can check against the exact vehicle and the fuel label. Surveillance concerns are about vehicle equipment, data practices, and rules, and need evidence specific to those topics. One does not establish the other.

If you’re weighing whether to keep an older car, first confirm which fuels it can use and whether those are readily available where you drive. That gives you a concrete answer without assuming a future fuel change is inevitable.