Scott Sharp Drives The Patron Car

Chuck Zimmerman

Jeff Simmons and Scott SharpHere’s Jeff Simmons posing with Scott Sharp (right) who drives the Rahal-Letterman Patron-sponsored car. I interviewed Scott during an open media session at Club Patron which is basically a mobile hospitality venue (Tequila bar). I think it’s interesting that Rahal has sponsors that create ethanol for fuel and for human consumption! I made sure I sampled and Patron is where it’s at!

Club PatronIt was a little noisy in Club Patron but I think you’ll enjoy hearing from Jeff. I asked him how it felt to be running on 100% ethanol this year and how his car’s performing. He thinks the time’s right for this fuel and very glad of all the support from the ethanol industry with the IRL.

Here’s my interview with Scott Sharp, #8 Patron Car driver: Listen to MP3 Scott Sharp Interview (4 min MP3)

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol, News, Racing

Ethanol Car Video

Chuck Zimmerman

Media TentHere’s my workplace here in Homestead, FL at the Homestead/Miami Speedway. My little spot is right in front on the end of the table. It was the last place open when I got here yesterday.

Here’s an update on how things are going with the Ethanol Car. After last night’s qualifying session the car’s time was disqualified due to failing a post qualification technical inspection. This happened to both Jeff Simmons in the #17 car and Scott Sharp in car #8. Both are Rahal-Letterman Racing entries. This means that Scott will start the race this evening in the #19 position and Jeff in the #20 position. Tough break but hopefully they’ll overcome it during the race.

Just to stoke up a little excitement I thought I’d share a short YouTube video with you of the Ethanol Car heading out of the pits to take practice laps.

EPIC, Ethanol, Racing, Video

NEVC Has New FFV Numbers

Cindy Zimmerman

NEVC The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition has recently acquired a database of flexible fuel vehicle (FFV) registrations as identified by zip code. With the data and newly acquired software, NEVC is now able to prepare detailed maps of the locations of FFVs in each state. This data can then be used to assist with identifying the most practical locations forwhere to install E85 infrastructure.

“The information provided by this new database will help the NEVC assist retailers with installing E85 fueling locations in the most populated FFV regions,” stated Phil Lampert, executive director for the NEVC. “The software also allows us to zoom in on municipalities which include multi zip codes to even more accurately site new E85 stations.”

The information, comprised by R.L. Polk and Co., indicates that there are approximately 5 million FFVs on American roads with the top three states being Texas, Florida and California.

Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News

UL Closer to E85 Pump Certification

Cindy Zimmerman

UL Underwriters Laboratories is getting closer to approving fuel pumps for dispensing of 85 percent ethanol.

According to a press release, UL currently expects to finalize research and publish certification requirements by the end of the fourth quarter of 2007 and, immediately thereafter, accept E85 dispensing equipment for investigation to the safety requirements and certification of compliant equipment.

UL has been working since October to establish standards for fuel pumps that dispense higher blends of ethanol such as E-85. Earlier this week, a bi-partisan group of Senators sent a letter to UL CEO Keith Williams requesting that the approval process be completed.

According to Senator John Thune (R-SD), the lack of a U-L Certification has nearly halted the installation of new E-85 pumps and is slowing down ethanol growth.

“For years now, Congress has made ethanol an important part of our nation’s energy policy. As we work to promote E85 and higher grades of ethanol like E20, fuel that contains 20 percent ethanol, it is critical that UL provide the necessary certification for fuel dispensers to deliver alternative fuels at local gas stations. I urge UL to act in a timely manner to certify these pumps and remove this unnecessary barrier to the use of higher blends of ethanol,” said Thune.

E85, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, Government, News

Jeff Simmons Ready To Race

Chuck Zimmerman

Jeff Simmons Getting Ready For Practice LapIt has been a hot sunny afternoon in south Florida. Fortunately the Indy cars get to do qualifying for race start position tonight under race time conditions since the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 is a night race tomorrow.

Here’s Jeff getting ready to run his practice laps earlier today.

This afternoon I caught up to Jeff at the Rahal-Letterman hospitality area and interviewed him to get his thoughts on running a race that Paul Dana didn’t get to run last year. As you may recall it was just a year ago that Paul Dana was killed in practice prior to this race when it was run on Sunday. I had conducted the last media interview with Paul the evening before. So for some of us, Jeff included, this is an emotional race. As you’ll hear him say, he’s got to put that behind him and focus on racing.

Here’s my interview with Jeff Simmons, #17 Ethanol Car driver: Listen to MP3 Jeff Simmons Interview (4 min MP3)

Audio, EPIC, Ethanol, News

It’s Indy Time In Miami/Homestead

Chuck Zimmerman

Team Ethanol Car at Homestead PracticeWell here we are just as the practice laps are completed at the Miami-Homestead Speedway the day before the XM Satellite Radio Indy 300. That’ll take place tomorrow evening at 8pm eastern time and you can see it on ESPN2.

I’m getting ready to attend a Rahal-Letterman press conference in a few minutes where I’ll get a chance to interview Jeff Simmons and find out how the car’s running today. This is the kickoff of the IRL season and I’m looking forward to it.

I’ve started a photo album for the event which already has quite a few photo in it. You can find it here: XM Satellite Radio Indy 300 Photo Album

This is the first time these cars will be competing using 100% ethanol for fuel. In his practice today Jeff Simmons in the #17 Ethanol Car clocked a 209.302MPH on his 9th practice lap which puts him in position 15 for the practice best times today. Dan Wheldon in Car #10 was fastest with a speed of 213.014.

I’ll have a lot more over the next couple days so stay tuned.

EPIC, Ethanol, Indy Racing, Racing

Oilseed Summit to Focus on Food and Fuel

John Davis

The rise in popularity in biodiesel has caused some concerns that foodstuffs might be syphoned off to produce energy sources. To talk about those concerns, Soyatech… publisher of the Soya & Oilseed Bluebook… is sponsoring a summit November 11-13th in Chicago to discuss how to balance the needs for food and fuel with available oilseeds.

From the Soyatech web site:

Soya & Oilseed Summit 2007 At Soya & Oilseed Summit 2007: Nourishing Innovations in Food & Energy, industry thought leaders will discuss the dynamics that drive the industry today and into a future fraught with competing policies, technologies and needs, in a discussion and exploration of sound, rational solutions to the industry’s largest questions.

This summit builds on a similar discussion last year. Click here for more information and registration.

Biodiesel, conferences, Miscellaneous

Biodiesel Trucking Survey Shows Promising Results

John Davis

Decker Truck Line A study by a large over-the-road carrier supports the use of biodiesel.

Iowa-based Decker Truck Line, Inc., with more than 700 semis out on the road and nine terminals in five states, is the first major trucking company to compare a soy biodiesel B20 blend to regular diesel in a comprehensive over-the-road test covering two million miles.

So far, 350,000 miles have been covered, and according to a National Biodiesel Board news release, so good:

“What we’ve observed so far is great performance in the particularly cold winter we just experienced, and reduced maintenance and engine wear benefits that equal or outweigh the slightly higher cost of the biodiesel blend,” [says Dale Decker, Industry & Government Relations Director for Decker Truck Line.]

In fact, Decker says they’ve observed cleaner engine oil, less engine wear, decreased maintenance, and good performance in cold weather as low as the single digits.

The National Biodiesel Board is happy with the results as well:

NBB logo “We are pleased that Decker Tuck Line has taken on this project to test biodiesel in real-world conditions,” said Tom Verry, Director of Outreach and Development for NBB. “This over-the-road study of biodiesel will help trucking companies and independent truckers gain a better understanding of the effect of biodiesel on their fleet.”

Mileage and efficiency results of the study won’t be released until after the two million miles is completed.

Biodiesel

B20 Approved for Cummins Engines

John Davis

Cummins logo Biodiesel got a boost when diesel engine making giant Cummins approved 20% biodiesel for many of its engines.

In a news release, Cummins says it moved up from its previous recommendation of 5% biodiesel (B5) three main reasons:

Cummins ISX engine First, the American Society of Testing Materials specification ASTM D6751 now includes an important stability specification for B100 biodiesel. Second, the availability of quality fuels from BQ-9000 Certified Marketers and Accredited Producers is growing rapidly; and third, Cummins has completed the necessary testing and evaluations to ensure that customers can reliably operate their equipment with confidence using B20 fuel.

“We have completed exhaustive analysis and test evaluations which enable Cummins to provide the necessary guidance and information to our customers for the proper and successful use of this fuel in our engine,” said Edward Lyford-Pike, Chief Engineer – Advanced Alternative Fuel Programs. “This will enable our customers to have a choice that includes renewable fuel.”

In another release, the National Biodiesel Board applauded the decision:

NBB logo “Cummins’ announcement is a major milestone for diesel equipment-maker acceptance of biodiesel,” said Steve Howell, National Biodiesel Board (NBB) Technical Director. “Cummins is among the leaders in the on-highway truck engine market. As knowledgeable consumers add ‘support for B20’ in their purchasing decisions for diesel vehicles, the smart companies are taking advantage of that and issuing B20 support as a way to capture this growing sentiment for using fuels we don’t have to import.”

Indiana-based Cummins sells products in more than 160 countries through 550 company-owned and independent distributor facilities and more than 5,000 dealer.

Biodiesel

Minnesota Knows E85

Cindy Zimmerman

ALAMNAccording to a new survey commissioned by the American Lung Association of Minnesota, public awareness of the alternative fuel E85 is up more than 20 percent since two other surveys were conducted in 2006. More than four out of five Minnesota drivers surveyed by the Detroit-based Phoenix Marketing International firm in February said they were somewhat or very familiar with E85.

The survey results were welcome — but not particularly surprising – news to Bob Moffitt, communications director for the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest’s clean fuels and vehicle technologies program.

“Minnesota is clearly the ‘epicenter of E85’ in North America, with more than 300 E85 stations and more than 18 million gallons of the alternative fuel sold here last year,” Moffitt said. “While pleased with the data, we are not satisfied with the number of E85 outlets in Minnesota. Our goal is to have 1,800 E85 outlets in the state five years from now. It’s an ambitious goal, to be sure, but if we don’t act soon we will loose our leadership position to other states that are currently investing millions in E85 station infrastructure.”

The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest offers information about Clean Air Choices, including E85 and biodiesel, on their website at www.cleanairchoice.org.

Biodiesel, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News