Just two years in and the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council has created a brand identity that’s sweeping across borders… both domestic and international. Tom Branhan, Glacial Lakes Energy, was the main man behind the “e,” serving as Board President for two years. Now, Tom has stepped down from his leading role, saying he’s confident about where the organization is …
10th E85 Station in Tucson Opens With Promotion
The tenth E85 fueling station in Tucson, Arizona will offer E85 for $1.85 per gallon on Wednesday, June 25 in celebration of their grand opening. The Quik Mart at 1026 E. Irvington Road, at the intersection with Houghton Road in Tucson, will offer the alternative fuel at the discounted rate from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m. “Bringing a clean fuel …
Iowa Corn Growers Optimistic
At the Iowa Speedway yesterday, the Iowa Corn Growers Association held an outdoor press conference. They used it to help educate media about corn usage by placing banners on the side of a grain trailer showing the relative percentages of corn used for different purposes like livestock feed and ethanol. I did a short interview with Gary Edwards, ICGA board …
The Evolution of Ethanol
“The industry is at a point where the next evolution is here. You know it’s at the next phase.” Toni Nuernberg, the new Executive Director of the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council says the ethanol industry is facing significant changes and challenges. That’s why, she says, both EPIC members and non-members attended the organization’s first annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska …
Ethanol and Dan Wheldon Win in Iowa
This year’s Iowa Corn Indy 250 is over and as usual, ethanol won. Actually, Dan Wheldon, Target Chip Ganassi Racing won the race. He’s seen here holding up the trophy which is a replica gas pump. The Team Ethanol car ran as high as 3rd place but according to driver, Ryan Hunter-Reay, they lost a gamble on fuel strategy. He …
Ethanol Starts The Iowa Indy
The Iowa Corn Indy 250 is underway here at Iowa Speedway and the weather is perfect. Team Ethanol started at position 17 but driver Ryan Hunter-Reay made a bold move and jumped to 7th almost immediately and has been holding there by mid race. I’ll post more at the end of the race which, depending on cautions, won’t be long. …
Ryan is the One
The qualifying session for the Iowa Corn Indy 250 got rained out last night so unfortunately that means the drivers will start according to their points standing. That was a blow to Team Ethanol. The car was performing very well and would likely have had a much better starting position. Ryan Hunter-Reay, who spoke at the EPIC member reception last …
Ethanol Car Pits During Practice
The Ethanol Car wound up practice in the top 10 with a combined (2 sessions) lap speed of 183.114. Ryan Hunter-Reay, the driver got in 166 practice laps and is ready to go for tomorrow’s race. To get a sense of what it’s like in the pits, at least in practice, I shot some video during this morning’s session. Iowa …
Iowa Speedway Pace Car Ride
After today’s ethanol press conference the media were treated to rides out on the track in the Iowa Speedway Pace Car. Our driver was Davey Hamilton. For most of us it was our first time and even though we only went about 95 mph, the curves were tough to deal with. As hard as I was pressing up against the …
Driving Agricultural Productivity
Monsanto was represented at this morning’s ethanol press conference at the Iowa Speedway by Troy Hobbs, Corn Biofuels Strategy Lead. He started his comments explaining that the company’s mission is to drive productivity in the agricultural sector. He spoke to how quickly they’ve been able to increase the per acre yield in corn with their research on seed and traits. …