E85 to Fuel 2008 Season of the American Le Mans Series

John Davis

Pumping up with ethanolIt’s not quite official, but the Vice President of Media Communications for the American Le Mans Series says the ALMS will be making an announcement within a week about it’s future with ethanol. Bob Dickinson says ALMS will move to an E85 blend of ethanol fuel for the series’ 2008 season. He says the series’ switch to an E10 blend was a positive move and the ALMS wants to continue to stay on the cutting edge of fuel technology.

You can listen to my interview with Bob here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Dickinson_Bob.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, Energy, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Racing

Shell Sets the Standard for Ethanol Fuel

John Davis

Sam Sweeney grills American Le Mans Series Driver Peter DumbreckSam’s Mart on 5640 New Northside Drive, NW in Atlanta, GA is among the network of Shell stations within the metropolitan area that uses an E10 blend of fuel in all of it’s fuel grades offered at the pump. Bob Walden is the Manager of Special Projects for Sam’s Mart. He says Shell is a leading player the ethanol industry when it comes offering the fuel to consumers at the pump. For Bob, pump promotions like the one the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council put on today help turn consumers on to “the future of fuel.”

Bob is pictured here with the local Sam’s Mart management team and American Le Mans Series Drivers Tom Milner and Peter Dumbreck. Bob is on the far right. I’m also pictured on the far right just below Bob.

You can listen to my interview with Bob here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Walden_Bob.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Research

ALMS Ferrari Sparks Youthful Curiosity

John Davis

Sam Sweeney grills American Le Mans Series Driver Peter DumbreckI’m not the only one who thought American Le Mans Series Driver Peter Dumbreck’s #31 Ferrari F430 GT was a sweet ride. Sam Sweeney and his mom Allison played hooky from school so they could have a chance to check out the Petersen Motorsports/White Lighting Racing Ferrari. I dropped in on Peter and Sam’s conversation about racing and spoke to Allison about ethanol.

You can listen to Peter, Sam and Allison here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/curiouskid.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Racing

ALMS Driver Peter Dumbreck Fired Up on Ethanol

John Davis

#31 Ferrari F430 GT American Le Mans Series Driver Peter Dumbreck in the cockpitIt’s not very often that you get a foreign take on one of America’s emerging alternative fuels, so I was particularly interested in speaking with American Le Mans Series Driver Peter Dumbreck about ethanol. Peter is the driver of Petersen Motorpsorts/White Lighting Racing’s #31 Ferrari F430 GT. Both he and his ALMS car made an exciting appearance today at the Atlanta pump promotion, which was sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council. After checking out Peter’s sweet ride, I grabbed him for an interview.

You can listen to my interview with Peter here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Dumbreck_Peter.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, Energy, EPIC, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Racing

ALMS Driver Tom Milner Drives Ethanol Promotion

John Davis

#18 Bell Micro Porsche American Le Mans Series Driver Tom Milner greets a consumerEthanol is simply “a great fuel” for American Le Mans Series driver Tom Milner. Tom drives the #18 Bell Micro Porsche for Rahal Letterman Racing. The ALMS driver pumped gas and greeted consumers with a wide and welcoming grin as he gave them a first-hand account of using an E10 blend of ethanol fuel in a high-speed, endurance setting. Today’s EPIC-sponsored ethanol pump promotion at Sam’s Mart in Atlanta proved Tom is not only securing key positions out on the winding tracks of the AlMS, but is also settling comfortably in his role as an ethanol spokesman. Tom will be racing this weekend in the 2007 Petit Le Mans race at Road Atlanta. I spoke with Tom about the performance of ethanol in sports car racing and what that means for consumers.

You can listen to my interview with Tom here:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/Milner_Tom.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, Energy, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Racing

Shell Pumps Up Ethanol Frenzy Before Atlanta’s Petit Le Mans

John Davis

Pumping the American Le Mans Series #31 Ferrari F430 GT with E10 fuelConsumers enjoyed discounted fuel and free fountain drinks and coffee at the Sam’s Mart in Atlanta, GA this afternoon. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council sponsored an ethanol pump promotion where consumers could fuel up with E10 fuel for 50 cents less than the going rate.

The promotion officially kicked off the 2007 Petit Le Mans race weekend for EPIC. American Le Mans Series drivers Tom Milner and Peter Dumbreck manned the pumps, handed out autographs and divulged the benefits of ethanol fuel to consumers. E10, a blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline, is “the official ethanol-enriched fuel” of the ALMS. This is the first year an endurance-based racing series has used a street legal renewable fuel.

The Sam’s Mart at New Northside Drive in Atlanta, GA pumped more than 1500 gallons of discounted E10 fuel for customers between 11:30 a.m and 1:30 p.m. Consumers were filling their tanks at a rate of $2.25 per gallon. This morning the fuel was selling for $2.75.

Racing fans also got to check out Peter’s #31 Ferrari F430GT, the official ALMS car for Petersen Motorsports/White Lighting Racing. Click here to check out the Ferrari’s deep, throaty throttle:
[audio:http://www.zimmcomm.biz/audio/ferrarithrottle.mp3]

2007 Petit Le Mans Photo Album

Audio, E85, EPIC, Ethanol, Flex Fuel Vehicles, News, Promotion, Racing

Product of the Year

Cindy Zimmerman

Agrimarketing Magazine In a near unanimous decision, ethanol has been chosen as the 2007 AgriMarketing Product of the Year by AgriMarketing Magazine.

According to the magazine, the entry was submitted by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC).

In just the past year, ethanol production has increased over 50%, given several segments of the ag economy a much needed boost, and increased household income by $6 billion.

The combined Nov/Dec issue of AgriMarketing magazine will feature a special supplement about ethanol and its impact on North American agriculture and agribusiness.

Agribusiness, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Iowa Farmers Union Sponsors Biodiesel Workshop

John Davis

Iowa Farmers UnionThe Iowa Farmers Union has joined with Green World Biofuels to offer a workshop to help people brew their own biodiesel to use in their homes or farm equipment. Covering the entire process from start to finish, it will be at the Green World Biofuels facility near Tiffin, just northwest of Iowa City on Friday, November 16th.

This press release posted on IowaPolitics.com has more:

Green World Biofuels‘Our workshops are designed to educate people who are seriously interested in biodiesel production,” says [Green World Biofuels owner Steve] Fugate. “You will leave very knowledgeable and excited about making and using your own biodiesel.”

Sources of oil will be discussed as well, including collecting used fryer oil and the potential for pressing oil from a farmer’s own seed (soy, canola, etc.)

Workshop cost is $25 per person including lunch. Financial support has been provided by the Leighty Foundation. Register by November 13 by calling 800-775-5227.

Biodiesel

Propel Biofuels Ready for Seattle Assault

John Davis

Propel BiofuelsIn what is being compared to a military assault, Seattle-based Propel Biofuels is ready to launch its offensive to sell biodiesel in the Pacific Northwest.

This article in the Seattle Times sets the scene:

The makeshift headquarters of Propel Biofuels looks a bit like an Allied war room before D-Day.

A map of Seattle and its environs teems with pins — potential sites for the company’s green-and-white biodiesel pumps. Most of the pins mark well-established gasoline stations that sell traditional petroleum-based fuels. By striking deals to sell biodiesel there, Propel executives think they can overcome the retail-distribution obstacles that so far have kept it an alternative fuel for a small circle of green devotees.

The invasion is about to begin, with the company’s first two pumps opening in mid-October.

“We’re not asking customers to radically change their behavior” in order to buy biodiesel, Propel founder Rob Elam said.

Elam might be the right man in the right place at the right time as the area is becoming a biodiesel mecca with the nation’s largest biodiesel plant, Imperium Renewables’ Gray Harbor facility… a 100-million-gallon-a-year refinery… in the neighborhood. And he might just have the winning attitude to make it all work:

Elam believes the secret to success is to make biodiesel visible and convenient. His team has talked to more than 100 gas-station owners on the West Coast, seeking arrangements to install pumps. “Generally the response is very enthusiastic,” Elam said. “We don’t ask them to have any hassle.”

Biodiesel

Biofuel Production Boosted by High-Biomass Research

John Davis

Texas Agricultural Experiment Station of The Texas A&M University SystemEnergy crop company Ceres, Inc. and the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station of The Texas A&M University System are collaborating in high biomass sorghum production for biofuels, through an exclusive, multi-year joint research and commercialization agreement. The collaboration is meant to focus on plants that are not designed to produce grain, but extensive resources for biomass. Biomass is the latest raw material of stems, stalks and leaves being used in biofuel production.

Today, sorghum-to-ethanol production uses the grain, like corn, but the plants themselves hold the greatest potential for biofuel production, says Peter Mascia, Ceres Vice President of Product Development. He notes that new technologies are making it possible to utilize the carbohydrates that comprise plant cell walls, called cellulose.

Ceres“As these technologies mature, farmers will transition from growing as much grain per acre to producing as much biomass as they can per acre, with as little energy and agronomic inputs as possible. This means new crops and specialized hybrids like these high-biomass sorghum types will be needed,” Mascia said.

As part of this agreement, Ceres will obtain exclusive commercialization rights to TAES’s high biomass sorghum hybrids developed in the joint research program. The TAES program will receive royalties as well as financial and technology support from Ceres. Other aspects of the collaboration were not disclosed.
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Agribusiness, Biodiesel, Research