As summer officially begins, events in Iowa to promote and expand the use of E85 are shifting into high gear. The American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest reports that Iowa Governor Chet Culver and Lt. Governor Patty Judge will address a workshop at Wallace Auditorium in Des Moines for 100 managers and directors of state-owned vehicle fleets on Thursday, …
Ford E85 Escape Hybrids
The first E85 Escape Hybrids are hitting the streets this week, as Ford Motor Company delivered three of 20 new vehicles Wednesday to the Department of Energy, the Renewable Fuels Association (RFA), and the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition. RFA president Bob Dinneen was all smiles as he climbed into the driver’s seat of the new vehicle which combines hybrid and flex-fuel …
E85 for East Tennessee
Pilot Corporation has opened the first fuel pump in East Tennessee to sell 85 percent ethanol (E85). Helping with the grand opening was Alan Jones, manager of Tennessee Department of Transportation’s Environmental Policy Office, who is pictured fueling up a state vehicle with E85 at the Walker Springs Road Pilot location just off of I-40 in Knoxville. “Pilot is proud …
Ethanol: The Hot Rod Fuel of the Future
Nearly 50 years in the business of engine performance should be enough experience to earn one the title of “Auto Performance Expert.” Gale Banks with Gale Banks Engineering started his business in 1958. His business, which consists of designing engines for various factories, manufacturing his own line of engines and developing after market performance products, is just a year shy …
Ethanol Set To Break More Markets
The man that built The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council from the ground up is Board President Tom Branhan, CEO and general manager of Glacial Lakes Energy. When I caught up with him on the bus, he said the transition to 100 percent ethanol fuel in the Indy Racing League is a major stride for the ethanol industry, and he …
Indy 500 Reaffirms Ethanol As Trusted Fuel Source
Amidst the hustle and bustle of race weekend events, I caught up with EPIC board member Don Endres of VeraSun Energy, a producer of fuel grade ethanol. Don said the Indy Racing League’s switch to 100 percent ethanol fuel is history in the making. He said the IRL’s investment in the fuel not only demonstrates to the world that ethanol …
The Buzz Word: Ethanol
The “Ethanol Summit” included an impressive list of speakers and both local and national press arrived to cover it. The Ethanol Information and Promotional Council, IndyCar Series, Indianopolis Motor Speedway and Rahal Letterman Racing sponsored the event. EPIC officials said the summit was meant to commemorate what the company calls “monumental use” of 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol in the IndyCar® …
Cheap Gas and Autographs
On my first pit stop on the road with Chuck, I caught up with EPIC and IndyCar drivers Jeff Simmons, Scott Sharp, and Sarah Fisher at GasAmerica on LaFayette Road in Indianapolis. EPIC teamed up with GasAmerica and offered E10 fuel, a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline to consumers for $2.25 a gallon. They IndyCar drivers …
New York Opens E85 Station
Flex-fuel vehicle drivers in the Empire State now have at least one place to fill up with 85 percent ethanol. The National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) reports that Campus Mobil, located near the State University of New York Albany campus, held a grand opening for the first public E85 pump this week. KNC Holdings, the company which operates Campus Mobil, …
E85 Police Tahoes in Georgia
The General Motors Police Package Tahoe was featured and demonstrated to the crowd at the grand opening of a new E85 station in Georgia on May 1. The Fillers/Chevron facility is the seventh E85 site to open in the state, according to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Middle Georgia Clean Cities Coalition Executive Director Charise Stephens said, “Our goal is …