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

Novozymes Introduces Cellulosic Strategy

Cindy Zimmerman

Novezymes Demark-based biotech firm Novozymes has “introduced a five-step strategy to achieve economically viable cellulosic ethanol.”

According to a news release, the strategy was unveiled at a press conference during the 4th Annual World Congress on Industrial Biotechnology and Bioprocessing in Orlando, Fla. The press conference was followed by a panel discussion featuring Per Falholt, Novozymes chief scientific officer; Maria Rapoza, vice president for Science and Technology, North Carolina Biotechnology Center; and Dan Schwartzkopf, National Hot Rod Association dragster and Ethanol Promotion and Information Council representative.

The company’s strategy includes: continued funding of research and development, establishment of geographically-distributed flexible configuration testing and development centers, scientific advancement to increase cost efficiency by improving underlying agricultural practices and pre-treatment methods, scientific advancement in biotechnology, and continued bi-partisan support of a national infrastructure to support practical implementation such as incentives and tax credits.

Biotech, Cellulosic, EPIC, Ethanol, News

Building with Biodiesel

John Davis

Union of Concerned Scientists A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists says that construction equipment is one of the largest sources of diesel pollution in California.

NBB logo But there is a better way. The National Biodiesel Board says cleaner-burning biodiesel could help construction companies reduce their impact. It cites two companies… Manatt’s in Iowa and North Bay Construction in California… and their positive experiences with biodiesel in their heavy equipment. NBB has posted some of their testimonials here.
North Bay Construction
The Union of Concerned Scientists praises the construction companies’ actions:

UCS Clean Vehicles Engineer Don Anair says biodiesel has an important role to play in helping to clean up construction sites. “Refueling with cleaner alternatives like biodiesel combined with other particulate controls is an excellent solution for reducing harmful diesel exhaust particulates from construction and off-road diesel equipment,” says Anair, “We applaud proactive efforts of companies like North Bay Construction and Manatt’s in helping to realize our shared goal of cleaner and healthier air and urge others to follow their lead.”

Biodiesel

Indiana Johanns Adventures

Cindy Zimmerman

BioTown USAAgriculture Secretary Mike Johanns spent Wednesday in the state of Indiana talking about domestic fuel.

First, the secretary joined Governor Mitch Daniels to break ground for BioTown, USA’s Phase II technology suite. BioTown is the country’s first effort toward creating communities where all energy needs are met through biorenewable resources.

BioTown JohannsAt that event, Johanns also announced the availability of $176.5 million in loan guarantees and $11.4 million in grants to support investments in renewable energy and energy efficiency improvements by agricultural producers and small businesses.

“By promoting energy efficiency and development of energy sources that are farm based and renewable, we’re taking another step toward achieving the President’s goal of reducing America’s gasoline consumption by 20 percent in ten years,” said Johanns. “We hope to dramatically expand renewable energy programs like these, as reflected in our 2007 farm bill proposals.”

Finally, Johanns concluded the day with a renewable energy roundtable discussion at Purdue University in Indiana where he talked about the administration’s 2007 Farm Bill proposals and fielded energy-related questions with a number of other panelists. He also introduced a new web-based tool designed to make energy-related activities from across the Department accessible from a single web page. The Energy Matrix is a comprehensive collection of information on all of USDA’s energy-related programs, research efforts, funding opportunities, and technical assistance.

Biodiesel, Energy, Ethanol, Government, News

Broin to Construct Plant #30

Cindy Zimmerman

Broin Companies South Dakota-based Broin Companies, the nation’s largest dry mill ethanol producer, will construct its 30th ethanol production facility near Fostoria, Ohio.

According to a press release, Fostoria Ethanol will produce 65 million gallons of ethanol from 21 million bushels of locally grown corn and produce 178,000 tons of premium Dakota Gold Enhanced Nutrition Distillers Products.

Broin Companies expects to start construction in the next 30-60 days with a construction time period of 12-14 months.

Ethanol, Facilities, News