Domestic Fuel

In case you’ve wondered if you can drive across the U. S. on E85 fuel only the answer is “you can.” Some college students are doing just that as I write. I just spoke with Jim Richardson, Iowa Central Community College, and they’ll wind up in Des Moines tonight after starting out in Washington, DC yesterday morning. He said they had just done a few laps around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway!

I invited Jim to have the students send in daily reports to DomesticFuel that we can use here. I think it would be interesting to see their perspective on the trip and renewable fuels like ethanol. He thinks that after they get in tonight they can send us a report.

Here’s some more information about the trip they’re on:

Beginning on Monday, March 6, 2006, students from the Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) will begin a cross-country trip in a 2005 Chevrolet Avalanche with E85 FlexFuel capability, demonstrating the possibility of coast-to-coast travel solely on E85, a mostly renewable fuel containing 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

“This is a great demonstration of the increased awareness and availability of renewable fuels such as E85,” said Jim Richardson, lead coordinator and professor at Iowa Central Community College. “With automakers like General Motors producing an abundance of flexible-fuel vehicles, we can help boost our country’s agriculture industry, save the environment, and reduce our dependence on petroleum.”

The students are Tami Davis, Ashley Heflin, Alex Lundgren and Bradley Westrum – posing in the picture with RFA president Bob Dineen, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Senator Conrad Burns of Montana.

The Governor’s Ethanol Coalition met this week in Washington, DC and passed a resolution urging major auto makers to make more flex-fuel vehicles that can run on 85 percent ethanol. Thirty-two of the country’s governors are members of the coalition, which was formed in 1992 to promote ethanol use. So far only midwestern governors have chaired the organization, but governors of states like New York, Arizona and Washington are listed as members. Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius is the new chairman of the coalition and she was quoted as saying this week, “There’s a new energy behind our efforts to promote biofuels.”
Here are a couple of links to regional stories about the meeting this week.
Wichita Business Journal
Kansas City InfoZine
KXMC-News North Dakota

General Motors made ethanol history Friday when a Chevy Silverado E-85 Flex Fuel Vehicle (FFV) served as the pace car for the GM Flex Fuel 250 at Daytona race, starting the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race, according to a news release.
“GM is delighted to be able to sponsor the event tonight,” said Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “We are delighted to bring a lot more awareness to the benefits of ethanol to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions and reduce America’s dependence on foreign oil.”
Ethanol Promotion and Information Council executive director Tom Slunecka was in Daytona for the event and congratulated General Motors for its success in creating consumer awareness of the value and benefits of ethanol. “GM’s promotion of E-85 fuel is helping to build the infrastructure needed for the ethanol industry to continue growing and replacing millions of barrels of non-renewable oil,” said Slunecka.
GM is really getting into this ethanol thing in a big way. If you haven’t checked out GM’s “Live Green, Go Yellow” website yet, you really should. It’s quite the deal. I would call the whole campaign very farmer friendly. For a little fun, play the Stalk Car Race game on the site. It’s cute – not real challenging, but cute.

Ford and GM both used Super Bowl XL to kick off new campaigns with domestic fuel themes.
Ford went with a big name star to promote its new Escape Hybrid. The ad, which premiered during the Super Bowl – held appropriately in Detroit’s Ford Field – featured a frog with a familiar face. More ads starring the famous Muppet are scheduled to run this year during popular network television shows such as American Idol, CSI: Miami, and the Barbara Walters Academy Awards Special. You can also expect to see Internet, print and billboard ads featuring Kermit. You can watch the Ford Kermit spot here. Hey – maybe they’ll name a car after him! The Ford Kermit kinda has a nice ring to it…

While Ford was turning green during the Super Bowl, General Motors was a curious yellow in pre- and post-game commercials, touting its “Live Green, Go Yellow” theme. GM had planned to launch the campaign today as a tie-in to the opening of the Winter Olympics this week, but decided to ride on the momentum of the President’s State of the Union address last week and take off early. The yellow stands for corn and the campaign is promoting GM’s yellow fuel-filler caps on its E85-capable vehicles to raise consumer awareness, starting March 1.

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Ford Motor Company and VeraSun Energy are working to create a “Midwest Ethanol Corridor” through Illinois and Missouri to increase the availability of E85 fuel. According to a Ford press release – The first phase in the creation of the Midwest ethanol corridor is to convert approximately 40 existing gasoline fuel pumps in Illinois and Missouri to E85. The move will increase availability by approximately one-third this year. Ford estimates there are 50,000 owners of Ford flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) in Illinois and 28,000 in Missouri. Ford will work with fuel providers and officials in other states to further develop the Midwest ethanol corridor.

General Motors is giving Nascar E85 a day at the GM FlexFuel 250 races February 17 at Daytona International Speedway. The event is part of GM’s E85 ethanol campaign “Live Green, Go Yellow” announced last month in Washington DC, which is “an innovative partnership designed to promote E85 use and showcase GM’s E85 FlexFuel vehicle leadership to U.S. consumers – including millions of loyal NASCAR fans – throughout the year.” According to a press release from GM, FlexFuel-branded Chevrolet Silverado pickup trucks also will serve as pace vehicles at Daytona and 10 other races on the 25-race NCTS circuit.
“GM and the Chevrolet Silverado brand are dedicated to helping grow an E85 infrastructure in the U.S. ,” said Brent Dewar, GM vice president, North America marketing and advertising . “Leveraging Chevy’s prominent presence in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series helps spread the word as we work to increase consumer awareness of E85 as a domestically produced alternative to imported oil and a way of reducing emissions.”

The world’s first flex-fuel hybrid vehicle was introduced this week by Ford Motor Company at the Washington Auto Show. The Ford Escape Hybrid E85 is a research vehicle combining two petroleum-saving technologies – hybrid electric power and flexible-fuel capability, according to the company’s news release. Ford officials boast that they have put more than 1.5 million flex-fuel vehicles on America’s roads in the last decade, and our experience with ethanol-fueled vehicles goes all the way back to the days of Henry Ford. The Ford Escape Hybrid E85 research project will aim for breakthroughs that could further expand the appeal of ethanol-capable vehicles.

The president of the Renewable Fuels Association this week took Honda and Toyota to task for not marketing flex fuel vehicles (FFVs) in the United States. Bob Dinneen wrote letters to the heads of U.S. operations for both car makers asking them to reconsider their decisions.
In the case of Honda, Dinneen questioned the decision in light of the fact that Honda does market FFVs for use in Brazil.
“Honda’s willingness to produce flex-fuel vehicles in Brazil, but not in the U.S., is curious, and it puts your company at a tremendous disadvantage to its American counterparts,” Dinneen wrote
The letter to Toyota refuted comments that the national manager of advanced technology for Toyota’s U.S. operation made in a recent Wall Street Journal article regarding ethanol’s environmental friendliness and sustainability.
“Ethanol has also been a key component of America’s effort to reduce tailpipe emissions,” Dinneen responds in the letter. “Adding ethanol to gasoline dramatically reduces carbon monoxide pollution, and its oxygen content helps to reduce exhaust hydrocarbon emissions as well. Ethanol also helps to reduce combustion chamber deposits. Finally, ethanol is providing refiners with a clean octane alternative to more toxic gasoline additives.”
In both letters, Dinneen also notes that a recent survey found that more than 90 percent of American drivers would prefer an FFV to a conventional gasoline or diesel engine. In addition, Dinneen strongly urged both automakers, who have built strong reputations in the hybrid vehicle market, to incorporate the use of renewable fuels like ethanol in future hybrid technology development.
Here’s a link to the full news release. Copies of the letters are also available there.

Here’s a couple of national feature stories about ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs) that have come out in the last couple of days:

This Knight-Ridder article, dateline Maryland, has the headline “Ethanol gets a push, but road ahead fraught with challenge.” It starts off talking about how E85 is not selling well outside of the midwest unless it is lower in price, but also brings up the fact that there some five million FFV’s on the road, that ethanol production is increasing and that oil companies are the major obstacle to increased ethanol use. This story, which includes quotes from Bob Dinneen at the Renewable Fuels Association and Phil Lampert at the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, got some very good distribution nationwide. The link is to the long version of the story, which also includes some international bio-fuels facts at the end of the piece.

This Associated Press article just came out today, dateline Los Angeles. In typical mainstream media fashion, it starts out with the charge that automakers are making more FFVs to “skirt mileage standards.” Not a real positive tone in the story for the industry, but it does point out the number of FFVs on the road, that E85 is often cheaper than gasoline and that car companies are starting to promote their FFVs. It also points people to e85fuel.com to find out if their car will run on 85 percent ethanol fuel.

Here's some good news out of Detroit on consumer awareness and acceptance of ethanol and flex-fuel vehicles. An on-line survey by research firm Phoenix Marketing International found that 60 percent are extremely or very familiar with the grain-based fuel. When presented with ethanol's strengths and weaknesses, more than 90 percent of drivers said they would prefer a flex-fuel vehicle (running on both bio- and fossil-fuels) over a strictly gasoline or diesel version.
Consumers also seem to be getting the message about the benefits of ethanol, according to the survey. Consumers perceive renewable resource (42 percent), clean fuel (24 percent) and produced in America (19 percent) as the most important benefits of ethanol-powered vehicles.
Bill Saunders, president of Phoenix Automotive, says that ethanol could ultimately help increase sales for American auto manufacturers.
“Last year’s fuel price run-up and Middle East crises may have not only hurt American drivers’ pocketbooks but also caused them to feel guilty about operating large, gas-only vehicles,” said Saunders. “Ethanol power not only allows owners to enjoy large vehicles, but it can also let them feel good about the domestic agricultural economy, American energy independence and the environment."
The survey also questioned which auto manaufacturers were seen as extremely or very environmentally sensitive. Sixty percent or more put Honda and Toyota in that category, but 18 percent or less felt the same way about Ford, General Motors and DaimlerChrysler.
The study of more than 2,000 vehicle owners was conducted just last week on-line. Here is the link to the full release.

If you are in a car-buying mood, the new GM 2007 E85 Chevy Tahoe is now available. The new Tahoe is a flex-fuel vehicle capable of running on 85 percent ethanol, which is not really that unique anymore – there are lots of flex-fuel vehicles on the road. What makes it special is that GM has been running an ad campaign in major publications promoting that fact. Advertisements for the 2007 Tahoe ran in the Jan. 4 editions of USA Today and Wall Street Journal stressing the new full-size sport/utility vehicle’s fuel economy, including it’s ability to run on E85. “To my knowledge, this is the first time that any automaker has included a reference to the FFV capability of a vehicle in a national advertisement,” said Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Executive Director Phil Lambert. The ads also direct individuals to the NEVC Web site, www.E85Fuel.com, to locate availability of E85.

It’s time to get yourself a Ford Tough F150. Ford has just announced that the first flex fuel trucks are rolling off the production line.

As Ford continues to drive American innovation, a new version of America’s best-selling vehicle is rolling off the line at the Kansas City Assembly Plant. Production of the first Ford F-150 flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) began this month, continuing the company’s commitment to producing 250,000 FFVs in the coming year. The flexible fuel technology is being built into the 5.4L, V-8 engine model and is available to consumers at no additional cost. FFVs can operate on gasoline or ethanol blends up to E85 – a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Made in America, ethanol is a renewable fuel that supports U.S. jobs and reduces the nation’s dependency on foreign oil. It is produced primarily from corn grown in the Midwest and is generally less expensive than regular unleaded gasoline – saving consumers money at the pump.

As I was checking this story out I came across FordF150.net which has a user forum set up. Here’s a link to a conversation thread on ethanol.

A bill introduced in the U.S. Senate last week would require all U.S. marketed vehicles to be manufactured as Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) within ten years. The Fuel Security and Consumer Choice Act, introduced by U.S. Sens. Dick Lugar (R-IN), Tom Harkin (D-IA) and Barack Obama (D-IL), would mean that all cars sold in the United States after 2016 would be capable of running on both regular gasoline and E-85 renewable fuel.
In a release from his office, Lugar said, “Flexible Fuel Vehicles play an important role in increasing our use of renewable fuels and decreasing our dependence on foreign oil. America’s insatiable appetite for oil places our nation in a precarious situation of reliability on regions that have become increasingly hostile to us. This bill would complement the exciting advances in the energy bill that Congress passed earlier this year that more than doubled the production and use of domestic renewable fuels. Passage of this legislation would send an important signal to the market that renewable fuels, such as those produced in Indiana, will be fully embraced by our nation.”

Did you know that there’s almost 5 million vehicles on the roads that can run on E85, an 85 percent blend of ethanol in gasoline? Most of the owners don’t even know it. The reason is that there’s no easy way to know if your car will accept this high level blend. On many of these FFV’s (flex fuel vehicles) you can check inside the fuel door and you might see a sticker that tells you but not all of them.

That’s why it was good news to see in USA Today a story about about how both Ford and GM will be taking some extra steps to educate their customers and produce even more FFV’s. GM is going to make sure all their FFV models have a yellow gas cap, which will let you know that it can accept the E85 blend! That’s the spirit. Make it easier on people to know they can put the higher octane, domestically-produced fuel in their cars.