The maker of electric trucks that can run all day on a single charge is getting some help to expand its Kansas City assembly facility. The Kansas City Star reports that the $22 million federal Department of Energy grant to Smith Electric Vehicles is in addition to $10 million the DOE gave the company last August: Kevin Kelly, chief financial …
Process Optimization Seminar Success
Nearly 60 ethanol plant managers attended the second Process Optimization Seminar held in Indianapolis this week. The interactive seminar is a team effort of Fremont Industries, Fermentis, Novozymes and Phibro Ethanol Performance Group. “All four of us companies got together and realized a need to provide training for plants,” said Steve Rust with Fremont. “So we decided to provide this …
Lack of Biodiesel Tax Cut Cuts REG Iowa Workforce, REG Launches Facebook Page
Iowa-based Renewable Energy Group has had to lay off 45 percent of its workforce in the company’s home state, due to the failure of Congress to renew the $1-a-gallon federal biodiesel tax credit. REG is expected to meet with two key members of Congress, Senator Dick Durbin (D-Illinois) and Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), at REG facilities in each of the …
New Fuel Economy Standards May Benefit Ethanol
Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Energy (DOE) signed a joint final rule that establishes greenhouse gas emission standards and corporate fuel economy standards for light duty vehicles for model years 2012-2016. This National Fuel Efficiency Policy requires passenger cars and light trucks to get an overall average of 35.5 miles per gallon (mpg) by 2016 …
High School Students Win Eco-Marathon With Ethanol
Several high school students from Durand High School in Wisconsin, took first place in the national Shell Eco-Marathon, with their ethanol entry. The challenge was to build a car with the best fuel economy and the Wisconsin team was the only team to enter a vehicle fueled by ethanol. After a snafu with another vehicle that ran into their car, …
Sugarcane Harvest Begins in Brazil
Brazil’s 2010/2011 harvest officially begins today, and it is predicted that there will be a 10 percent increase in sugarcane production this year, as compared to last year. This according to the Brazilian Sugarcane Industry Association (UNICA) who is estimating that the sugarcane harvest should reach 595.89 million tons, compared to 541.50 million tons last season. Final 2009/10 production numbers …
UK Report on Food Crisis Vindicates Ethanol
A new report commissioned by the UK’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has concluded that drought and high oil prices, not biofuels, were behind the so-called food crisis of 2007/2008. “Available evidence suggests that biofuels had a relatively small contribution to the 2008 spike in agricultural commodity prices,” the report noted. “Studies which have found a large …