Team Ethanol Off to Great Start

Cindy Zimmerman

Team Ethanol is off to its best start of the Indy Car Series yet, finishing 7th in Saturday’s opening race in Homestead.

Ryan Hunter-ReayDriver Ryan Hunter-Reay ran a great race and stayed in the top ten with all the big name drivers for the majority of the race. The 2007 Rookie of the Year was hoping for a better finish for the start of his first full season with the Indy Car Series, but he got passed up by two drivers in the final restart of the race after Tony Kanaan got knocked out of first place. Before the restart, the #17 Ethanol car was holding on to fifth place. The Homestead 300 trophy ultimately went to Scott Dixon.

This is the second year the Indy Car Series is running on 100 percent fuel grade ethanol and Hunter-Reay is a big believer in the alternative fuel. “Basically, it’s an American product that’s creating American jobs,” he says. “Every drop of ethanol you put in your car is one less oil tanker out there.”

Check out this post from The Fueling Station on Saturday’s race.

EPIC, Ethanol, Indy Racing, News

FAPRI: Biofuels Will Drive Agriculture

John Davis

fapri.jpgOfficials with the Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute say biofuels will drive agriculture for at least the next 10 years.

This story from Southeast Farm Press quotes FAPRI livestock analyst as saying “It’s hard to talk about a baseline without saying something about biofuels.”

“We’re expecting in 2008 that ethanol production from corn to be nearly 11 billion gallons and continuing to grow to 15 billion gallons. The recently passed legislation (by Congress mandating biofuel usage) certainly has an effect on ethanol production long-term.”

However, ethanol production is just one of the reasons why FAPRI — whose reports are relied upon by Congress when crafting legislation — sees crop prices “that have moved higher. When looking at the baseline, we anticipate those will continue to (remain) higher.

“It’s also important to note that export demand has been strong in a number of cases. We’ve been surprised at the strength of corn exports given a major run-up in corn prices.”

For soybeans, FAPRI sees “nearly 70 million acres being planted. We continue to watch this closely. These numbers were done back in January and market prices have changed and the acreage mix will continue to make adjustments. Until we get to spring planting, these numbers could move substantially given the types of price changes occurring.”

Brown says the combination of high feed prices along with increased fuel prices will make it pretty tough on livestock producers’ bottom lines for the next several years.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, News

Texas Oilman Advocates Alternative Energy

Cindy Zimmerman

Legendary oil investor T. Boone Pickens wants the U.S. to get off its addiction to foreign oil and fossil fuels.

PickensThe 79-year-old multi-billionaire was on CNBC earlier this week talking about energy, oil prices and ethanol. According to Delta Farm Press, Pickens has changed his mind about ethanol.

Pickens, who admitted he once opposed ethanol, said on CNBC’s daily “Squawk Box” program that America’s purchases of foreign oil are costing the country a half a trillion dollars every year.

“You take 10 years, and you have $5 trillion,” said Pickens. “That’s more than $1 billion a day. We can’t stand that.” (That $500 billion per year is not far from the record federal deficit of $552 billion in 2004.)

Ethanol industry leaders have been saying the United States needed to reduce its use of foreign-produced oil to avoid transferring such wealth out of the country. But few have put it in such dramatic terms as Pickens.

Acknowledging he didn’t think much of ethanol’s claims in the early years, he said he now supports increased production. “I’d rather have ethanol and recirculate the money in the country, than to have it go out the back door on us.”

Pickens has a company called Clean Energy Corporation that provides natural gas as an alternative fuel for vehicle fleets via fuel stations and last year he announced that he intends to build the world’s largest wind farm by installing large wind turbines in parts of four Panhandle counties.

Ethanol, News, Wind

Car Dealer Opens E85 Station

Cindy Zimmerman

CleanFUEL Distribution and General Motors held a grand opening event for a new E85 fueling station in Grapevine, Texas owned by Classic Chevy/Hummer. Over 3,200 gallons of E85 sold for 85 cents per gallon this morning to celebrate the opening.

Classic HummerClassic Chevrolet/HUMMER spent more than $500,000 to install nine pumps dedicated to E85, E10 and biodiesel at its new Classic Clean Fuels station.

In 2007, the Hummer dealership sold more Chevrolet trucks than any dealership within the United States. Charles Martin, general manager of Classic Chevrolet/Hummer said, “We sell a lot of trucks capable of running on alternative fuels like E85 and, even though there has been some increased availability, we saw a need for more E85 pumps where drivers could fill up. This was the right thing for us to do for our customers and it’s good for the Metroplex.”

CleanFUEL Distribution provided Classic Chevrolet/Hummer with a turnkey biofuels station handling everything from equipment to fuel supply.

Clean Fuels“Classic Chevy has taken a true leadership role by making E85 and other biofuels available to the citizens of Grapevine and allowing all customers who purchase a flex fuel vehicle to drive off with a full tank of E85,” said Karl Doenges, president of CleanFUEL Distribution. “Classic Chevy has gone a step further and configured their station so all municipal, county, state and federal fleets around the Grapevine-DFW Airport area can seamlessly use this site with their existing fleet management program. Everyone can now do their part for energy independence, the environment and growing our economy.”

Biodiesel, E85, Ethanol, News

Brown Goes Green

John Davis

upslogo.jpgShipping giant UPS, affectionately known as Brown, is doing its best to be known for its GREEN practices.

The company has announced it is adding 167 compressed natural gas (CNG) powered delivery trucks to the roads in Texas, Georgia and California as part of its global alternative fuel fleet, designed to cut down on the company’s carbon footprint and its reliance on dependence on fossil fuels:

upscngtruck.jpgOf the 167 new CNG trucks, 25 have been deployed in Dallas; 42 in Atlanta, and the remaining 100 in five California cities: 30 to Sacramento, 14 to Los Angeles, five to Ontario, 10 to San Ramon and 41 to Fresno. They join more than 800 CNG vehicles already in use by UPS in the United States. Previous CNG vehicles in UPS’s fleet were converted from gasoline and diesel vehicles in the 1980s to run on alternative fuels. The new vehicles are originally manufactured for alternative fuel use.

“UPS has deployed alternative fuel vehicles for more than 70 years and this CNG deployment is one more step towards the ‘greening’ of the UPS fleet,” said Robert Hall, UPS’s director of vehicle engineering. “Continuing to add CNG delivery trucks to our fleet is a sustainable choice because natural gas is a cost effective, clean-burning and readily available fuel.”

The CNG truck bodies are identical externally to the signature-brown trucks that now comprise the UPS fleet although they will be marked as CNG vehicles. The trucks are expected to reduce emissions by 20 percent and improve fuel economy by 10 percent compared to the cleanest diesel engines available today.

The press release goes on to say that this brings the UPS “green fleet” up to 1,629 trucks, using CNG, LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas), propane, electric and hybrid electric vehicles worldwide… the largest alternatively-fueled private fleet in the transportation industry.

Miscellaneous

Missouri Senate Approves Biodiesel Mandate

John Davis

senstouffer11.GIFA requirement that all diesel sold in Missouri contain at least 5 percent biodiesel has passed the State Senate.

Radio station KWMU (St. Louis) reports the measure, set to go into effect in 2010 if it becomes law, passed by a wide 20-11 margin:

The bill’s sponsor, State Senator Bill Stouffer (R, Napton), says B-5 will cause less pollution and reduce wear and tear on commercial trucks.

“It gives us an opportunity to raise fuel in Missouri and keep those dollars inside the state, instead of going to Texas, or the Mid-East or Venezuela,” Stouffer said.

The measure now goes on to the Missouri House. If it passes there, Governor Matt Blunt has indicated he will sign the bill. Blunt called for the mandate in his State of the State address in January.

Biodiesel, Government, Legislation

“Biogasoline” Could Compete With Ethanol

Cindy Zimmerman

ShellShell and Virent Energy Systems of Wisconsin have announced a joint research and development effort to convert plant sugars directly into gasoline and gasoline blend components instead of ethanol.

VirentAccording to the companies, “the sugars can be sourced from non-food sources like corn stover, switch grass, wheat straw and sugarcane pulp, in addition to conventional biofuel feedstock like wheat, corn and sugarcane.”

Virent’s BioForming(TM) platform technology uses catalysts to convert plant sugars into hydrocarbon molecules like those produced at a petroleum refinery. Traditionally, sugars have been fermented into ethanol and distilled. These new ‘biogasoline’ molecules have higher energy content than ethanol (or butanol) and deliver better fuel efficiency. They can be blended seamlessly to make conventional gasoline or combined with gasoline containing ethanol.

The companies have so far collaborated for one year on the research.

corn, Energy, Ethanol, News, Research

Corvette Ready to Run on Cellulosic E85

Cindy Zimmerman

CorvetteThe Corvette Racing team will make its debut race on cellulosic E85 in the upcoming American LeMans Series Acura Sports Car Challenge in St. Petersburg, Florida April 4-5. GM Racing program manager Doug Fehan says they are very excited about it.

“GM is the leader in the production of flex fuel vehicles, we produce over 2.5 million and we are the largest producer in the world,” Fehan said during a teleconference on Wednesday. “Corvette has always tried to position itself as a leader in GM and within the racing community and this was a chance for Corvette again to demonstrate that leadership.”

Fehan says they had some challenges perfecting the fuel cell for using E85 in the race car, which kept them from using the fuel in the ALMS Twelve Hours of Sebring but they have resolved that issue. Comparing E85 to gasoline, Fehan says there is a difference in fuel mileage “but from a power and performance standpoint, it’s virtually the same.”

Johnny O'ConnellThe Corvette Racing C6.R driven by Johnny O’Connell, Jan Magnussen and Ron Fellows captured ninth overall and first in the 12 hours of Sebring in Florida, the season opener for the American Le Mans Series.

O’Connell agrees that performance with the cellulosic E85 is identical. “There has been absolutely no loss in performance at all (running the E85 in the Corvette) it’s as amazing as it’s always been,” he says. Because of the lower fuel mileage he says they do have to carry a little more fuel which makes the car a little heavier at the start, but “we’ll make that up on the other side” when the car is lighter.

O’Connell is especially pleased with the environmental benefits of running E85. “We all want to be as green as we possibly can and recognize that we do need to change things to keep racing in our culture as we go forward,” said O’Connell.

Corvette Racing has a technical partnership with the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council to spotlight E85 in the ALMS, and the cellulosic E85 for the race is being provided by KL Process Design Group of South Dakota. Two other teams – the Intersport Racing Lola and the Drayson-Barwell Racing Aston Martin – are also running on E85 in the ALMS series.

Listen to part of the press conference here: [audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/epic/corvette-conference-edit.mp3]

American LeMans, Audio, Cellulosic, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, News, Racing

Biodiesel Motorcycle on the Road

John Davis

Last September, a motorcycle that runs on biodiesel hit a record 130 miles per hour (see my Sept. 17, 2007 post). Now, the folks at the Oakland, California-based The Crucible want to run it up to 160 mph!

But first, this YouTube video posted on InventorSpot.com shows them taking out on the road:

biobikevideo.jpgExtreme motorcycle modification is nothing new. So when Michael Sturtz decided to make an extreme motorcycle with a diesel motor, not much was said, until now.

Sturtz and his team from an industrial-arts group called the Crucible based out of Oakland, California started with an older model motorcycle. They found a diesel V6 from a BMW and began the painstaking process of merging the 2. After spending over a month rebuilding the frame, running hoses and cables and designing a biodiesel friendly fuel system, the computer locked up. A built in security system flagged the car as stolen and only after some “hacking” and a few calls to BMW could the problem be remedied.

Biodiesel

BioTrucker Fuel Card Hits the Streets… and Highways

John Davis

biotruckercardfrontsmall.jpgThe first-ever biodiesel fuel card has been unveiled. National Biodiesel Foundation (NBF) today introduced the BioTrucker Fuel Card, which highlights the availability of biodiesel with a network of truck stops that carry biodiesel.

This press release from the National Biodiesel Board, the parent group for the NBF, says the card allows truckers and fleets pay a cash price (while having the convenience of a credit card) on all fuel and no fuel transaction fees for biodiesel at in-network of 4900 truck accessible retail stations across the U.S. In addition, Sapp Bros. Travel Centers (Peru Ill.), Waddy Unocal 76 (Waddy, Ky.) and Drivers Truck Stop (Ft. Worth, Texas) are giving card holders a two-cent-a-gallon discount:

“Being one of the first truck stops to offer a discount for BioTrucker Fuel Card holders is very exciting to us,” said Kevin Cassidy, Marketing Manager, Sapp Bros. Travel Centers. “We are huge supporters of biodiesel and this program will generate interest and awareness.”

The initial in-network list of 149 truck stops will continue to grow as more truck stops sell biodiesel and accept the BioTrucker Fuel Card. In-network truck stops include large chains and independent stops.

“We are pleased that our stop is part of the BioTrucker Fuel Card network,” said Karlene Saunders, Owner, Stockton Travel Centers. “This is a great program for helping truckers find biodiesel.”

The BioTrucker Fuel Card gives trucking companies and owner operators an easy way to pay for fuel, access cash advances, and pay for repairs and other expenses while on the road. Card holders pay the cash price for all fuel, instead of a credit price. ProMiles mapping software is a partner that provides incentives for using its software – the only mapping software for the trucking industry that shows biodiesel locations. Discounts on repairs and tires as well as road side assistance are also available through the card.

Those who want to sign up for the Biotrucker Fuel Card and to find out more information can click on the BioTrucker.com web site.

Biodiesel