INDIANAPOLIS – General Motors announced last week that it has joined the Environmental Protection Agency’s new SmartWay Grow & Go partnership as part of GM’s ongoing commitment to promote the benefits of E85 ethanol and other renewable fuels. The announcement was made at the Future Farmers of America National Convention, where the EPA introduced its new program. SmartWay Grow & Go is an expansion of the EPA’s SmartWay Transport Partnership, which focuses on promoting the environmental benefits of renewable fuels.
“Through SmartWay Grow & Go, President Bush is moving the fuels of the future into the market today,” said EPA Administrator Stephen L. Johnson. “By investing in technology that unlocks the energy from our domestic crops, EPA and our partners are bringing breakthroughs in renewable fuel from the labs to the streets.”
GM and several other partners have agreed to join the SmartWay Grow & Go effort in order to help expand the alternative fueling infrastructure, increase consumer awareness, and build consumer and corporate demand. EPA will work to share the environmental story of these important fuels and strengthen the technical and regulatory framework necessary to ensure quality fuels and adequate infrastructure.
“Throughout the past year, GM has been working with the EPA in a variety of venues in support of the greater use of E85 ethanol,” said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president of environment and energy. “We appreciate the EPA’s continued support of our efforts to date and we commend them on their commitment to further promote the environmental benefits of renewable fuels through the SmartWay Grow & Go campaign.”
GM is committed to supporting renewable fuels and is focused on making more of its vehicles compatible with blends of biodiesel in diesel fuel. GM currently approves the use of certified biodiesel blends of up to 5% (B5 blend biodiesel) in its 2006 Duramax engine sold in the U.S., and is aggressively researching the use of 20% mix for its future diesel models.
With over two million E85 capable vehicles on the road today, GM has also made a major commitment to promoting the use and availability of E85 ethanol, with plans to double production of flexible fuel vehicles by 2010 as part of its involvement in the Energy Future Coalition’s 25×25 initiative to get 25 percent of the nation’s transportation energy needs met by renewable fuels by 2025.
GM has already announced several partnerships with government, fuel providers and fuel retailers across the nation to help grow the E85 ethanol fueling station infrastructure. Since May of 2005, GM has announced partnerships in eleven states (South Dakota, California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia) to locate up to 175 new E85 ethanol fueling locations by the end of 2006. There are currently more than 1,000 E85 ethanol fueling sites nationwide.
GM has also partnered with the Governor’s Ethanol Coalition to loan E85-branded flexible fuel vehicles to nearly thirty GEC-member states to help educate the public about the benefits of E85 ethanol.
Since research has shown that many owners of flex-fuel vehicles do not know that their vehicles are capable of using E85 ethanol, GM has initiated a sweeping consumer education and advertising campaign encouraging consumers to actively promote E85 in their communities. “Live Green Go Yellow” ads continue throughout the year with print, web (livegreengoyellow.com) and broadcast media components.
E85 flex-fuel 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.
GM is a leader in flex-fuel vehicle production and sales. For the 2007 model year, GM offers 16 E85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Suburban, Chevrolet Silverado, Chevrolet Silverado Classic, GMC Sierra, GMC Sierra Classic, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, Chevrolet Monte Carlo, Chevrolet Uplander, Chevrolet Express, GMC Savana, Buick Terrazza and the Pontiac Montana SV6 (Canada only). Worldwide production of ethanol is increasing every year.
Via General Motors
“Besides, what are they going to do now that the UL has suspended their provisional approval of E85 pumps?”
lobby or bribe harder
Admirable intentions, but they need to embrance alternative fuels on a larger scale. If they’re only going to concentrate on corn, like they do in most of their commercials, they’re barking up the wrong tree. Corn is one of the most inefficient feedstocks for ethanol. Besides, what are they going to do now that the UL has suspended their provisional approval of E85 pumps?