Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, GM
The partnership between GM and the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition has been in effect since 2005, and has now been extended to at least finish out 2007. Towards that end, GM has loaned an E85 Chevy Tahoe to Lt. Governor Becky Skillman of Indiana. This is one of 13 states so far that GM has partnered with to promote E85 as the renewable resource solution to our oil dependency.
GM has also been a large driving force in building over 250 E85 stations across the country. With the assistance of the state, which uses the loaner E85 vehicles at public events, these stations may be getting somewhere with the public. GM stakes its claim as the leader in E85 vehicles with 16 E85-capable models, with 400,000 of them on the road today.
They may have an uphill battle with the awareness of the truth that E85 is less efficient a fuel than gasoline, and in the long run is just as expensive. Until ethanol can be produced cheaper, this is really not any kind of solution. However, it takes a long time to set America’s bulk on a new track, so starting now is probably the smartest move.
Full press release after the jump.
[Source: GM Media]
FOR RELEASE: 2007-05-24
General Motors Extends Relationship With Governors’ Ethanol Coalition to Increase Awareness of Ethanol and FlexFuel Vehicles
INDIANAPOLIS – General Motors today announced the extension of its relationship with the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC) through 2007. This collaborative effort, which began in 2005, is designed to increase awareness of ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, and to promote the increased use of E85 as a renewable, alternative transportation fuel that is able to meet the demands of today’s drivers. The announcement was made during the Indianapolis Ethanol Summit at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
The Governor’s Ethanol Coalition is a bipartisan group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol. As part of GM’s relationship with the GEC, General Motors has loaned an E85-capable Chevrolet Tahoe to the state of Indiana that will continue to be showcased in various ways and events throughout the year.
Lt. Governor Becky Skillman was on hand, along with the FlexFuel Chevrolet Tahoe. “Indiana is rapidly becoming a national leader in the production of biofuels,” said Lt. Gov. Skillman. “Governor Daniels and I appreciate GM’s support of alternative fuels and promotion of flex-fuel vehicles. I look forward to continuing to promote E85 ethanol as I travel the state in the Tahoe and visit with Hoosiers in every corner of Indiana.”
“We are delighted to continue our work with the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition and the State of Indiana on this important campaign to promote E85 ethanol,” said Elizabeth Lowery, Vice President of Environment, Energy and Safety Policy, General Motors. “At GM, we believe that the biofuel with the greatest potential to displace petroleum-based fuels in the U.S. is ethanol and we have made a major commitment to vehicles that can run on E85 ethanol–with over two million of our FlexFuel vehicles on the road today and plans to expand production going forward. We will continue to work with government, organizations and retailers to promote increased use and awareness of E85 ethanol across the country.”
Offering E85 flexible fuel vehicles and promoting the use of E85 ethanol is an important element in GM’s commitment to improve vehicle emissions and reduce dependence on petroleum. Since 2005, GM has loaned E85 flexible fuel vehicles to 30 states and organizations so they may use them to educate the public and promote the benefits of using ethanol.
Today’s announcement is the latest of a series of efforts GM has made to promote E85 ethanol in the state. In May of 2006, General Motors announced that it had facilitated a collaborative partnership with Meijer and the state of Indiana to add several new E85 ethanol fueling sites throughout Indiana. GM has been the catalyst behind several similar partnerships across the country as part of a broader, national GM campaign to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States. Since May of 2005, GM has announced partnerships in 13 states (South Dakota, California, Colorado, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Florida, New York and Virginia) to locate more than 250 E85 fueling pumps at stations around the country.
GM’s E85 partnership and marketing campaign are designed to encourage greater E85 use and showcase GM’s E85 FlexFuel vehicle leadership to U.S. consumers. E85 FlexFuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 can contribute to energy independence because it diversifies the source of transportation fuels beyond petroleum, and it provides positive environmental benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Today, GM has over two million E85 FlexFuel vehicles on the road in all 50 states, and will produce more this year. For the 2007 model year, GM is offering 16 E85 ethanol-capable vehicle models, with an annual production of more than 400,000 vehicles. This is more than any other manufacturer.
GM believes that developing alternative sources of energy and propulsion is the key to mitigating many of the issues surrounding energy availability. Producing E85 FlexFuel vehicles is one part of GM’s strategy to help reduce the use of petroleum and also reduce vehicle emissions. GM’s strategy also includes improving the efficiency of the traditional internal combustion engine with technologies available today; and developing electrically-driven vehicles such as hybrids, plug-in hybrids, fuel cell vehicles, and electric vehicles.
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been the annual global industry sales leader for 76 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs about 280,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit, GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2006, nearly 9.1 million GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn and Vauxhall. GM’s OnStar subsidiary is the industry leader in vehicle safety, security and information services. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
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