Sweden and Minnesota have a lot in common: Both are full of Swedes (OK, one more than the other), and both use a high percntage of E-85 ethanol.
This article from the Saab (another Swedish product) web site makes a comparison between the country and the state that saw massive Swedish immigration in the late 19th century:
Where Sweden is the leader in the Ethanol movement in Europe, Minnesota is clearly designated as the leader in the United States with over 300 stations strong and growing, totalling roughly one third of Sweden’s entire nationwide coverage. In Sweden, there are almost 900 E-85 filling stations covering the entire country according to the Swedish Ethanol Development Foundation. In Minnesota, this works out to about one E-85 pump per every 17,000 persons in Minnesota that has a population at just over 5 million people. In Sweden, there is roughly one E-85 pump per every 10,000 persons with their total country’s population totalling around 9 million people.
The author of the article goes on to wonder if when Saab’s BioPower vehicles, that run on more biofuels than traditional vehicles, do come to America in the near future whether Minnesota would be used as the test bed for those vehicles.


The report attributes the sector’s boom to a range of global concerns – climate change, increasing energy demand and energy security foremost among them.
“When it comes to renewable fuels like ethanol and biodiesel, it’s one thing for the government to give incentives to produce the fuel, but it’s another thing altogether to make sure the public knows what the fuel is, what it’s made from, and that it works in their car,” said Senator Klobuchar. “That’s why I support these crucial education programs.”
Senator Crapo said, “In the face of rising gasoline prices and increasing calls for energy independence, people are looking for alternatives to conventional petroleum. The value of the Biodiesel Education Grant Program is that it helps people understand–from seed to gas tank–the benefits of biodiesel, including production practices, standards and fuel quality, and basic economics, so that they can make educated decisions about their fuel purchases.”
Train personnel in :
Marketing and sales manager Jana Rieker with Successful Farming magazine presented the results of the survey at the recent Fuel Ethanol Workshop.
Weather-related problems that have caused damage to refineries in the Midwest have highlighted the need to diversify our nation’s transportation fuel needs. This issue is not only important for consumers who are feeling the pinch at the gas pump, but also for our country’s overall energy security.
Ford will go for a land speed record for a vehicle powered by hydrogen at the Bonneville Salt Flats next month.
A new study from Oregon State University says Oregon’s biofuels future remains pretty bright. 