Domestic Fuel

The Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) is excited to announce the release of a new Flex-Fuel Station Locator application for iPhones, iPads and the iPod Touch – free and available from the App Store.

The Flex-Fuel Station Locator iPhone application will help users pinpoint any E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) station in the United States, providing the user with station locations, fuel prices, directions and a phone number to each station. The main screen features three buttons: Nearest, Favorites and About.

The app was developed by RFA utilizing the E85 station database hosted by the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center and the U.S. Department of Energy. This data is continuously updated to help users locate over 2,600 E85 fueling stations across the United States. To download the Flex-Fuel Station Locator, visit the Apple App Store and search “Flex-Fuel Station Locator” for a free and easy download directly to your iPhone, iPad or iTouch.

In addition to the Flex-Fuel Station Locator for iPhone, the RFA has developed a similar application for the Android series phones. This application is available at no cost on the Android Marketplace. For GPS users, the RFA also has an E85 Points of Interest (POIs) application for Garmin and TomTom GPS users.

Coming up next month, the Alamo Area Council of Governments Clean Cities Coalition, in partnership with the FFV Club of America and Protec Fuel, will be conducting an E85 workshop in San Antonio, Texas.

The workshop is being held to continue the steps towards advancing transportation choices and economic development in the region, targeting local government officials, business decision makers, fleets, media professionals, and interested citizens on the benefits and opportunities of flex fuel vehicles and ethanol. It will also connect key flex fuel vehicle fleets with ethanol fuel providers.

Topics covered at the workshop will include: Federal/ State/Private FlexFuel Vehicle fleet in Texas, E85 refueling locations, fuel ethanol production; Meeting the Energy Policy Act, National Renewable Fuel Standards, upcoming compliance issues; Refueling infrastructure funding opportunities, supply logistics, blending economics, future opportunities, 2nd generation ethanol in Texas; National public education and outreach campaign and assistance from national ethanol organizations; FFV fleet operators will share their experiences and provide their lessons learned to the group; and an open forum for fleet managers, fuel providers, and technical assistant support teams to exchange information.

Ethanol workbooks and program materials will also be handed out at this workshop.

The workshop is FREE and will include a lunch beginning at noon and concluding at 3 p.m. on February 10 at the Alamo Area Council of Governments in San Antonio. To RSVP for this workshop, contact Yliana Flores at nrtemp@aacog.com.

The Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB) have awarded a grant to the Clean Fuels Foundation to support a statewide program to increase the sale of high level ethanol blends. MGPUB will be supporting the National FlexFuel Vehicle Awareness Campaign in a statewide program to increase awareness among owners of flexible fuel vehicles that are capable of utilizing ethanol blends up to 85%.

MGPUB joins the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), and more than 30 national companies and organizations that are part of the FFV Awareness Campaign working in several other states across the country. The overall campaign has been developed and is coordinated by the Clean Fuels Foundation, a Maryland based non-profit organization. With 16 E85 stations in the state and another half dozen scheduled to open in 2011, Maryland is a prime location to increase the use of ethanol and continue to expand infrastructure.

According to Marion Wilson, the President of the MGPUB, the FFV Awareness Campaign is a perfect compliment to the recent investment they have made in refueling infrastructure. "This program is the next step in the evolution of the ethanol program. We are getting more refueling locations all the time and the cars are becoming increasingly available. We will make sure current FFV owners are aware their vehicles have this capability and then inform them that these fuels are available and where they can get them," said Mr. Wilson. "We are sure that when drivers know this we will see an increase in the use of ethanol which provides a range of environmental, energy, and economic benefits," he said.

“Maryland is a prime candidate to use our small grains like barley for the production of advanced biofuels like ethanol,” said Lynne Hoot, Executive Director of the MGPUB. “By increasing the use of ethanol right here in the state we would offer a great advantage to anyone developing a project in Maryland,” she said.

Last week EcoTrek’s “Best of America Tour” kicked off at the Pier of Santa Monica. On Friday, January 14th, the EcoTrek truck made a tour stop at the California Ethanol Symposium. I had the chance to check out the EcoTrek truck and spend some time with Tom Holm the Executive Director of the EcoTrek Foundation and the creator of the Best of America Tour.

Holm said he had an idea to build an American made vehicle and accessorize it with American made parts. He explained that not only does this show patriotism, but also demonstrates the environmental impact of shipping products into America – it increases pollution and fossil fuel use while American made products reduces these issues. The truck features tires made from “clean” oil, faux leather from recycled plastics, the doors will be made from a corn product, and more. And the fuel that the truck will be powered with is E85 cellulosic ethanol produced from corn cobs and light stover provided by POET who is in the process of building the first commercial corn corn and stover cellulosic ethanol plant in Emmetsburg, Iowa known as Project Liberty.

“We’re taking an American-made pickup truck, outfitting it with American-made accessories and powering it with American-made advanced cellulosic fuels in order to emphasize our ability to be gentler to the environment, while bolstering American’s economy, national security, and independence from foreign oil,” said Holm.

The tour will visit consumers, organizations, and politicians across the country during the next two months and along the way will stop and participate in preservation projects. In fact, today, the tour made a stop in Sacramento where they met with several environmental organizations to discuss renewable energy and along the way stopped at a Propel Fuels’ station for a quick consumer promotion.

“Propel, EcoTrek, and POET each represent critical pieces to reducing our dependence on petroleum; widespread consumer access, advanced vehicle technologies, and the next generation of renewable fuels,” said Matt Horton, CEO of Propel Fuels. “Today we’re getting a preview of ultra-low carbon fuels from non-food sources, representing the next level of sustainability for fuels that can run in our vehicles today.”

You can follow along the tour by visiting www.ecotrek.com. You can view photos from my flickr California Ethanol Symposium photo album here.

Flex fuel vehicle (FFV) drivers in southeast Alabama now have two new locations to get 85 percent ethanol fuel with the opportunity to get mid grade ethanol blends in the future.

Inland Stores (a subsidiary of Southwest Georgia Oil Company) has replaced all of its dispensers at their SunValley Market stores in Enterprise and Dothan, AL with new blender dispensers. The new dispensers offer the traditional Regular, Midgrade, and Premium gasoline products, and now E85. The new dispensers also have the ability to offer another ethanol-blended fuel at a later date. These two sites are the first in Alabama, and some of the few in the United States, to have E85 available from all of its dispensers, giving drivers of FFV the ability to fuel with E85 from any dispenser.

According to Inland officials, ethanol used at both Alabama sites is produced at the First United Ethanol plant located just across the Alabama-Georgia border in Camilla, GA, less than 100 miles away. In addition, the company acknowledges support from Bosselman BioFuels Solutions, Alabama Clean Cities Coalition, Growth Energy, Alabama Soybean and Corn Association, and First United Ethanol were all key to establishing these new E85 fueling sites.

“We congratulate and commend SunValley Market/Inland Stores for their forward thinking and for taking the initiative to provide dispensers with the capability to not only offer E85, but also the ability to offer future fuel with different blends of ethanol,” said Mark Bentley, Executive Director of the Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition. “In 2006, there were no public stations pumping E85 fuel in the state. Last year, considering both public and private stations, E85 fuel displaced over 700,000 gallons of traditional gasoline in the State of Alabama. With the addition of these two sites, there are now 15 public stations making E85 fuel available to the general public.”

Inland Stores owns and operates 17 SunValley Market & Deli convenience stores in southern Alabama and plans to continue adding E85 capabilities to more of its locations.

Protec Fuel along with Indore Oil Company announce the opening of three new E85 sites in the Atlanta, Georgia vicinity. The three facilities will assist in fueling the nearly 25,000 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the area.

Indore Oil partnered with Protec Fuel to offer E85 through the group’s turnkey E85 infrastructure program. “Over the past three years we at Indore Oil Company have been working in concert with Protec Fuel to give customers in the Atlanta, Georgia and surrounding areas the option of having E85 as a renewable fuel source for their flexible fuel vehicles,” said Mihir Patel, General Manager of Indore Oil Company. “The relationship with Protec and the people that make everything possible within the company such as Steve Walk are wonderful and a joy to work with. It is a pleasure and fulfilling to think we are working together to provide a renewable source of fuel that will help reduce our dependence on foreign oils and help the environment at the same time.”

“Protec Fuel has been working with Indore Oil for several years starting with the opening of the very first public E85 station in the metro Atlanta area,” said Executive Director of Protec Fuel, Steve Walk. “I am excited to see how our relationship has grown to having over a dozen successful E85 outlets throughout the city allowing customers the option to fuel their respective vehicles with clean, alternative fuel, at a discounted price to gasoline. It has been Protec’s unique teaming network with Indore Oil, Testing LLC, GM and many others, that make all these stations a long term success.”

The new E85 Chevron stations are located in Sandy Springs, Lithia Springs and Newnan, Georgia.

If Santa has a Droid, he can now easily find ethanol blended fuel for his Flex Fuel Vehicle sleigh on Christmas.

Just in time for holiday travel, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA) has announced the Flex-Fuel Station Locator application for Android phones designed especially to find E85 stations nationwide.

To develop this application, the RFA utilized the E85 station database hosted by the Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center and the U.S. Department of Energy. With this continuously updated data, the Flex-Fuel Station Locator application is able to locate more than 2,400 E85 fueling stations throughout the United States. The application is available at no cost from the Android Marketplace application store.

Similar to the Flex-Fuel Station Locator, the RFA has developed an E85 Point of Interest (POI) application for Garmin and TomTom GPS devices. Updated quarterly, these GPS applications accurately guide drivers to over 2,400 E85 fueling stations throughout the United States. Step-by-step downloading instructions are available here . There, consumers can download individual state data, a combination of states, or national data directly from their computer to the GPS device. The database for both TomTom and Garmin can be found at www.ChooseEthanol.com.

Find out more from RFA here.

Protec Fuel announces the opening of an E85 pump at 5264 New Jesup Highway in Brunswick, Georgia. Offering the clean burning, alternative fuel, Mr. Pete’s is the first station to have Protec Fuel’s imaging on their dispenser.

E85 is a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent petroleum and can be used in over 8,000 FFVs across the area. The alternative fuel has been proven to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce the nation’s dependency on foreign petroleum.

Mr. Pete’s used Protec Fuel’s turnkey program which included designing and managing the equipment conversion and fuel supply. “We are pleased to be assisting this station with their E85 infrastructure and supply of fuel,” said CEO of Protec Fuel, Todd Garner. “Mr. Pete’s is a prime location for Protec’s roll-out of new E85 dispenser imaging and we look forward to seeing additional sites with our specialized branding.”

The E85 site is also the first of its kind in the area. Located just north of Jacksonville and south of Savannah, the owner is excited to begin selling the product. “I’m looking forward to see how many green vehicles will use our new fuel,” noted owner of Mr. Pete’s, Al Coty. “I’m proud to carry the fuel – it’s keeping the money in this country and helping our economy.”

Mr. Pete’s and Protec Fuel have teamed up with the Clean Fuels Foundation through their National Flex Fuel Vehicle (FFV) Awareness Campaign to help market the station and gain additional exposure. “Support from the state government, a strong Clean Cities program, in-state 1st and 2nd generation ethanol production, and a strong existing refueling infrastructure placed Georgia on our key market list in this partnership,” said Burl Haigwood, Clean Fuels Foundation and Project Manager for the National FFV Awareness Campaign.

Mr. Pete’s is open seven days a week. The site offers a convenience store and pay at the pump option.

The Clean Fuels Foundation announced today that they are working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to expand public awareness on fueling options available to owners of flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs).

The FFV awareness effort is targeting several areas across the country to increase the use of ethanol blends in FlexFuel vehicles. “Breaking through the blend wall begins with the 8 million FlexFuel vehicles on the road today, and reaching these drivers to make sure they know they can use ethanol blends up to 85%,” said Agriculture Under Secretary for Rural Development Dallas Tonsager. Tonsager also noted FFVs of any age can use E15 or any other gasoline ethanol blend up to E85 and can take advantage of favorable market pricing on these blends when offered.

According to Douglas A. Durante, Director of the Clean Fuels Foundation, a little effort goes a long way in terms of consumer education. “We have found when consumers realize their vehicles have this capability and we inform them where they can get the fuel, ethanol sales increase dramatically.”

Three fuel stations in Minnesota are now offering drivers of Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) a chance to save money with frequent ethanol user cards.

The Meadowland C-Store Cenex in Wabasso, Meadowland Farmers Coop in Lamberton and Country Pride Services in Windom are providing frequent fuel punch cards (one per household) to the first 50 flex fuel vehicle drivers starting today. The punch cards will offer a $10 discount on the fourth tankful of E85, E50, E30 or E20 fuels they purchase at those locations.

The promotion is being supported by the American Lung Association in Minnesota, Redwood County Corn Growers Association, Cottonwood County Corn and Soybean Growers Association, Minnesota Corn Growers Association, US Department of Energy Clean Cities and the Minnesota Clean Air Choice Team. For more information, see www.CleanAirChoice.org.

A familiar face in the ethanol industry, and a familiar name here on Domestic Fuel, is now working for Florida-based Protec Fuel.

Michelle Kautz has been hired as the company’s Public Relations/Development Director to manage Protec’s marketing and public relations programs along with coordinating sales efforts targeted at fuel distributors and retailers.

Kautz has been working in the ethanol industry for nearly 10 years. She formerly was the Market Development Director at Growth Energy where she was responsible for assisting in the installation of E85 and ethanol blender pumps. Prior, she held the position as the Deputy Director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC). She also is a freelance writer for ZimmComm New Media where her blogs can be read right here on Domestic Fuel.

“We are excited to Have Michelle on our team. She will have an immediate positive impact due to her extensive experience in working on E85 programs with distributors and retailers,” noted Todd Garner, CEO for Protec Fuels. “With Michelle at Protec, we can now better serve our existing customers to help them grow their ethanol volumes and also expand our business more quickly through new retailers.”

As a footnote, Growth Energy closed its Jefferson City, Missouri office – which was formally NEVC – as of December 1. NEVC merged with Growth Energy back in June 2009 to form the Market Development arm of the ethanol organization. Phil Lampert, who was also part of the Growth Energy Missouri office and a long-time ethanol industry promoter, says he is “still working on E85 infrastructure as a consultant to several key ethanol marketers and producers.”

Some lucky residents of California, Texas, Washington D.C. and New York could have a special surprise under their tree this holiday, a new Chevy Volt (Okay, maybe in their driveway with a bow on top). The first truckload of Volts left the Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly Plant yesterday destined for these markets and will receive the world’s first extended range electric vehicles. There are a total of 350 to be sent to new homes this week.

“Today is a historic milestone for Chevrolet,” said Tony DiSalle, Volt marketing director. “We have redefined automotive transportation with the Volt, and soon the first customers will be able to experience gas-free commuting with the freedom to take an extended trip whenever or wherever they want.”

The feature that sets the Volt apart is its Voltec electric propulsion system, which combines battery-only electric driving with an efficient, gas-powered engine giving the Volt up to 379 total miles of driving before having to recharge the battery or fill up the small gas tank. The Volt is the only mass produced U.S.-built electric vehicle and the only electric vehicle that has a flex-fuel component.

Earlier this year, Chevrolet shipped 15 pre-production Volts to technology enthusiasts and electric vehicle advocates whom were the first consumers to experience the Volt every day under real-world conditions during a 90-day vehicle and charging evaluation program. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

However, I have friends in launch states…Hint. Hint.

The Age of Electric Cars is finally coming. Despite a stutter back in the late 90s when electric vehicle (EV) development came and went spurred by the passage and elimination of California zero emission policies, electric vehicles have come back. And if author James Billmaier is correct, in his book “JOLT! The Impending Dominance of the Electric Car,” they are not only here to stay, but they will completely transform driving as we know it.

While America has the means to be the leader in electric vehicle development and manufacturing, Billmaier notes that this lead is under threat, especially by China. He writes, “Today the United States faces a new threat to its national security. This time the threat is one of economic dominance, and it comes in the form of the electric car.”

He continues, “The EV industry us certain to become a technological juggernaut. Any society that masters it will enjoy an economic bonanza and enormous world power. For our own security, that society needs to be us.”

While the major hurdles to EV development have been or or close to being overcome, there are still challenges that need to be addressed. Ballmaier notes that these include lack of substantial private and federal investments to develop the industry and manufacture the cars and components in the states, as well as battery development and charging infrastructure. Cost is a major factor, and as an example, the Chevy Volt, that is launching in 2011, will cost more than $40K. In addition, the EVs range is still a concern among most drivers – true EVs are just getting to the 100 mile range.

However, Ballmaier explains that as EVs come of age and consumers purchase them in droves, battery costs will come down, range will go up and the cars will become even less expensive and more attractive.

In the beginning of the book, Ballmaier gives an overview of the industry, that is followed by interviews with some of the major players. The book concludes with his take on the future of EVs in America. While this was interesting, what I felt was missing was a real examination of some of the drawbacks of EVs including the precious metals needed for the batteries, battery replacement and recycling, the needs of the electrical grid and the move to the smart grid, and the true impacts of plugging into a dirty grid. In addition, I felt he missed an opportunity to talk more about hybrids (PHEV), electric vehicles with a gas backup that can run on E85. If his vision comes true, it won’t happen without a transmission that will require hybrids to travel long distances.

In the end, Ballmaier outlines his “JOLT! Program for America” which calls for 100 million plug-in cars on American roads by the end of the decade and asks for America to take charge.

Select Thorntons stores in the states of Kentucky and Indiana will be holding an E85 promotion on Black Friday. Thorton’s will be selling E85 for 85 cents per gallon from 7AM to 3PM on Friday, November 26.

“We are very excited about the expansion of E85 fuel in our stores and are promotion its availability to raise consumer awareness on savings as well as educating consumers on protecting our environment,” said Matt Thornton, Chief Executive Officer of Thorntons. “We support the use of ethanol, wherever it is economically available”.

Thorntons will be holding their E85 promotion at the following locations:

401 W Court Ave in Jeffersonville, IN
2700 Fern Valley Rd. in Louisville, KY
2291 Elkhorn Drive in Lexington, KY
5760 Crawfordsville Rd. in Speedway, IN
6880 W Washington St. in Indianapolis, IN
4015 E 82nd St. in Indianapolis, IN
7020 Pendleton Pike in Lawrence, IN
3909 Hwy 31E in Clarksville, IN
12001 N US 31 in Edinburgh, IN

Thorntons Inc. is a leading independent gasoline/convenience chain retailer, marketing throughout the Midwest. They operate 165 gasoline/convenience stores and carry E85 at many locations.

The LA Auto Show took place last week and several of the hottest cars were electric vehicles (EVs). On display were the much anticipated Chevy Volt along with its current biggest competitor the Nissan Leaf. According to Chevy, the Volt will be available sometime this year for pre-order and manufacturing will begin sometime in the first quarter of 2011. Once it is finally available, the price tag is expected to be in the $40K range. So maybe, just maybe consumers will actually get their hands on the Volt in 2011.

Nissan took orders for the the Nissan Leaf earlier this year and according to the company, the first year model is sold out. With a price tag around $32K it will definitely be a competitor to the Volt. But here is where the cars really differ. The Volt is both a plug-in electric vehicle with flex-fuel capability (PHEV). In other words, it has a gas backup that can run on anything from 100 percent gasoline to eighty-five percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, (E85) while the Leaf is a plug-in electric only vehicle (PEV).

But how hot will EVs and PHEV’s really be? The auto industry is banking on them and nearly all major auto companies have either an EV or PHEV car that will hit the market by 2012. Here are some examples: Audi is releasing 2 models, BMW is releasing 4 models, Ford is releasing 2 models, Mercedes Benz is releasing 4 models, Toyota is releasing 4 new models, Lexus is releasing 5 models, and Honda is releasing 5 new models. In addition, Cadillac has one model, Hyundai is launching its first hybrid, as is Jaguar, Infiniti, Mitsubishi, KIA, SAAB, and Volkswagen. And this list doesn’t include the hybrids and EVs from independent car companies such as Fisker Karma, the Coda sedan, Smart Fortwo EV and Weego LiFE.

What is interesting is that very few of these vehicles are set to be plug-in electric FFV vehicles (PHEVs) meaning most won’t be able to use higher blends of ethanol for their “gas” back-ups. However, if you take a closer look, you’ll notice two things of interest. First, most of the EVs are coming from foreign manufacturers and countries such as China have plans to dominate the EV market. These same manufactures are not releasing many, if any FFVs. Second, American auto manufacturers are not releasing as many EV models as foreign manufacturers. However, in their case, they are releasing significantly more FFVs.

It will be extremely interesting to watch consumer adoption of the next generation of FFVs and EVs and simultaneously see if the American auto industry comes out on top with its gamble on alternative fuels or if foreign auto makers will continue to gain market share with their gamble on EVs.