Photo by Pixthree. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

While Hurricane Ike caused gas to shoot up to $5 a gallon in some areas, one problem in the direct path of the storm was a total lack of gasoline. But, for one University of Houston mechanical engineering student, the absence of gasoline didn't stop his evacuation: he just filled up with E85 and kept on moving. A story on Expo TV about senior Chris Reudelhuber's flexfuel dash to safety reads a bit too anti-hybrid to take seriously, but it does point out one aspect of flexfuel vehicles that certainly doesn't get much attention: the ability to fill up with whatever is available when supply gets tight. Thanks to Adam B. for the tip.

[Source: Expo TV]

One of the problems major automakers cite as a reason that more ethanol isn't used in their flex-fuel vehicles is that the people who own the cars just don't know that you can put E85 into the tank. But there is another problem: not having any E85 available in your area. If you want to find out if you can get E85 locally, there has long been an ethanol station search available at the website of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. Douglas Cottrell over at Drive Flex Fuel thought that another E85 station locater was in order.

A quick check using my home Zip code turned up 80 E85 stations from NEVC and almost twice that (157) on Drive Flex Fuel within a 200 mile range. DFF allows you to limit your search to 10 miles (or 25 or other limits) of your home while the NEVC site only allows you to search for stations within 200 miles of your home (and how useful is that?). From the looks of it, it doesn't seem that DFF discriminates between public and industrial sites. Cottrell wrote to AutoblogGreen to say that he updates the station list every month and has all states and zip codes listed.

[Source: Drive Flex Fuel]

Not to be outdone by those Coors ethanol vehicles at the DNC, Republicans will get their own ethanol-dose during their national convention this week. On Tuesday night in the Twin Cities, the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council will host a "celebration" called AgNite (because you know that farmers are the first to ditch old school and correct spellings of words like night). The self-styled non-partisan AgNite will celibrate "America's food and agricultural industry with key policymakers, convention delegates, media, and top industry leaders" and will feature an ethanol angle thanks to the sponsorship of the Renewable Fuels Association.

Ethanol promoters have a lot of work to do to get Republican delegates on the same page. The National Review's Corner says that the GOP's party platform recently voted against strong ethanol mandates, following strong discussion.

[Source: AgNite via Domestic Fuel, National Review]

It's certainly true that most ethanol opponents can find plenty of fuel for their arguments. Some claim that food prices have been adversely affected by ethanol production. Others point to the fact that most cars get worse fuel mileage when running E85. Obviously, there have been many debates regarding the effects of running ethanol in our vehicles. While we primarily are concerned with automobile engines, there are many other internal combustion engines to be concerned with, including those in motorcycles, lawn mowers, trimmers and numerous other devices which have become necessary for modern life. Even if automakers are able to ensure that their engines are not harmed by ethanol-blends, small engine manufacturers may not be able to do the same. MSNBC has an polled a handful of small engine mechanics and each of them cite internal engine damage, which they claim can be attributed to the use of alcohol fuels. We've heard about this problem for at least two years, and expect that this is an issue which will get even more attention as the government mandates more ethanol to replace petroleum.

[Source: MSNBC]

You've heard about plug-in hybrid conversions to the Toyota Prius. Now, a new company offers another eco-upgrade - E85 conversions. A Dutch firm named GreenFuelSystems has created an E85 bio-ethanol conversion kit that is available for 549 Euros. While the English-language version of the company's site is lacking in substantive information, they are currently being hailed as the first group to bring an E85 conversion kit to the market.

What would be truly remarkable is to see a Prius with both types of conversions: a flex-fuel, plug-in hybrid. While there is much talk about the possibilities of converging both alternative fuel and electric charging capabilities, we have yet to see entrepreneurs and innovators bring such projects to the public. With the emergence of this E85 conversion kit (if it is functional and viable), we may possibly begin to see a new wave of green vehicle renovations. Note: In some respects it is harder to do a flex-fuel hybrid than a plug-in.

[Source: Autoblog.nl]

Because certain subsidies and incentives allow many gas stations to sell ethanol for less money than regular gasoline, the fuel is becoming a popular choice among motorists, even if their vehicles are not certified for flex-fuel use. All vehicles sold in the U.S. today are capable of accepting small doses of the alcohol fuel, as up to ten-percent of normal gasoline may be ethanol. Of course, the fuel is available in higher concentrations for vehicles which have been designed to use it, with E85 - eighty-five-percent ethanol, fifteen-percent gasoline - proving one of the most popular combinations.

Apparently, though, the lower price of the fuel has attracted the attention of those looking to save a few bucks on each fill-up. In fact, this article indicates that many users are mixing their own blends right in their tanks. This trend has prompted some gas stations to allow a choice of ethanol mixtures for drivers who want to use it, right from a single pump. Manufacturers warn that using alcohol fuels in vehicles not certified for them could cause permanent damage, so be sure you know what you're doing before breaking those rules.

[Source: AP via The Detroit News]

Here in the Northeast, you're more likely to spot the Loch Ness monster in your neighbor's kiddie pool than you are to find a fuel pump that dispenses E85 Ethanol, a situation that always makes me chuckle at the various "FLEXFUEL" badges I increasingly see on area vehicles. Well, as of this Thursday, June 26, people in Massachusetts will actually be able to fill their tanks with the biofuel at the first public E85 pump in the state. And for 85 minutes, they'll be able to do so for 85 cents a gallon after the grand opening ceremonies at the Burke Oil station in Chelsea, MA. General Motors, purveyors of flex-fuel vehicles that in most cases rarely see a drop of the stuff, is sponsoring (we assume that means "paying for") the 85-cent promotion, after which the price will go back up to its normal rate of $2.85/gallon. Nowadays, that doesn't sound so bad at all. All the specifics can be found in the press release after the jump.

[Source: National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition]

Oh, the poor ethanol industry figures. Maligned for their reliance on corn, blamed for rising food prices and having to resort to subsidized fuel sales to attract attention, ethanol is an easy target these days.. Ethanol can't even get any love from the chickens. Last week, ethanol promoters gathered in Nashville to lash out at OPEC and Big Oil, and to figure out how ethanol will fare in the coming years. Around 4,000 people attended the 2008 Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Expo, according to organizers BBI. There is a lengthy video of the opening session now available online here.

In the video, the president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association,Bob Dinneen, breaks into a bit of a tirade about the oil industry. Dinneen's message is that the oil companies are waging war against renewables through paid-for studies and newspaper editorials. The ethanol industry's solution? Mandate that all new vehicles in the U.S. be E85-capable (we assume they mean all current gasoline-powered vehicles). Author Robert Zubrin said this would drive gas prices down to $50 a barrel. I say if cellulosic ethanol companies can make good on their promises to sell ethanol for something like $2 a gallon, you won't need a mandate to get all cars to be E85-ready.

Photo by mrebert. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Last month, Texas asked the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to halve the nationwide renewable fuels standard (RFS) because it believes "implementation of the RFS would severely harm the economy or environment" of Texas. Basically, Texas said, using so much corn to make ethanol (for 2008, the RFS is nine billion gallons) will hurt Texas' big leather pocketbook. As per the rules, the EPA then asked other groups for comment, and the National Chicken Council stepped up to support Texas' call (yes, this is the same National Chicken Council that was hatin' on corn ethanol a year ago).

Using language to get the EPA's attention, the NCC said in a statement (pasted in full after the jump) that U.S. policy to grow corn for ethanol "is imposing 'severe harm' on the broiler chicken industry and should be scaled back." The national ethanol policy leads to high corn prices, which hurts poultry companies, the NCC said. Of course, feeding chickens a lot of grain isn't the healthiest way to raise them, but that's a post for another blog. The NCC represents companies that make about 95 of the chicken sold in the U.S.

Here's an interesting way to phrase things. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) is trying to reframe America's current high pump costs with this headline: "Gas Prices Force Americans to Push for Ethanol Fuel." O rly?

See, EPIC commissioned a survey (conducted by Luth Research's SurveySavvy online research at the end of April, with just over 1,000 respondents) that found that American motorists will be rethinking their driving habits. No one needed a survey to figure that out, but EPIC also asked about the role fossil fuels play in the mix. I found the announcement strangely worded (read it for yourself after the break), but it seems like EPIC found that Americans don't want to pay for fossil fuels if they cost more than $5-6 a gallon. Ergo, said Toni Nuernberg, executive director of EPIC in that statement, "Motorists are frustrated and angry about high gas prices. Everyone is feeling the pinch at the pump, which really underscores our need for biofuels." It really underscores our need for alternatives, that's for sure, but not just biofuels.

Although Toyota is the undisputed leader in hybrid sales, it has shied away from offering E85-capable vehicles in the United States. In other markets, though, where ethanol is widely available and popular, such as Brazil, Toyota has seen fit to offer vehicles which are able to run on the alcohol fuel. Just-Auto reports that Thailand might be the next market where Toyota could begin offering E85-capable vehicles, citing The Nation newspaper in Thailand. The decision to offer ethanol-capable vehicles is made easier as any gasoline engine can be made to run on E85 with only minor changes, such as new fuel lines and a computer recalibration.

Toyota also hopes that the price of E85 remains low in relation to the price of gasoline, which could help offset the lower mileage that E85 fuel causes. The source article also points to molasses and tapioca as locally-grown feedstocks for the production of the fuel itself.

[Source: Just-Auto - sub. req'd]

2009 hybrid Escalade.

You can put canola oil in a Cadilac. You can almost get an Escalade with a hybrid powertrain. And, now, you will be able to get the behemoth (either the Escalade, the Escalade EXT or the Escalade ESV) with an ethanol-ready flexfuel engine. GM announced today that all 2009 Escalades will be flexfuel capable. This announcement isn't a surprise - is there anyone more gung-ho about living green and going yellow than the General? - but now at least it's official. The flexfuel Escalades are the latest step to GM's stated goal of getting half of GM's U.S. production vehicles flexfuel capable by 2012. GM made the announcement in Atlanta, where 12 new E85 stations opened this week.

I guess they've got to pretty much give it away: E85 fuel will be on sale for just 85 cents a gallon for two hours in Colorado next week. Domestic Fuel says that the special sale on the biofuel for flexfuel cars will take place in the town of Fowler from noon until 2 p.m. on Tuesday, June 12. The sale is sponsored / subsidized by the Colorado Corn Growers Association, the Governor's Biofuels Coalition (GBC) and Western Convenience. Domestic Fuel calculates that there are about 85,000 flexfuel vehicles running (out of around 300,000 total vehicles) and fifty places to get E85 in Colorado. The Ethanol Promotion and Information Council notes the location of those pumps in the Alternative Fueling Station Locator. The GBC is a statewide organization that promotes ethanol and biodiesel to Colorado drivers.

[Source: Domestic Fuel]

Photo by Eric Charlton. Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0.

Everyone who follows the biofuel industry knows that the future of ethanol lies in cellulose. While corn is today's big feedstock, the potential to make ethanol cheaper and with less of an impact on food prices and the environment by using cellulosic materials is calling venture capitalists, the auto industry and many others. In the U.S. today there are more than a dozen companies that have gotten at least a few steps down the path of building cellulosic ethanol plants. There's a list of each company with an explanation and an interactive map of the plants over at earth2tech.

Companies like Coskata, Mascoma, Range Fuels, Poet and Verenium are familiar names on AutoblogGreen, but earth2tech also mentions ZeaChem and Abengoa Bioenergy, among others, which are less frequent visitors. While all of these companies are using their own production methods to turn wood waste or old tires or waste sludge or whatever into ethanol, no one has a lock on the future of cellulosic ethanol. Good.

[Source: earth2tech]

click picture to enlarge

Sorry to anyone in Atlanta who could've used this information today, but I just noticed it now: a half-dozen fuel stations are offering E85 for $1.85 a gallon tomorrow. The low price - subsidized/sponsored by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC), Clean FUEL Distribution, Indore Oil and BP - also happened today at six other stations. The deal is here because these 12 shops are all new ethanol retailers (Wonder how the post office feels about this?), and EPIC and the other promoters want people to fill up their flex-fuel vehicles with the biofuel. Speaking of which, only vehicles can be tanked during the two-hour sale, not portable gas carriers. If you're interested in buying the fuel, you can click on the image above to read the list of stations better or visit the EPIC website for more information.

[Source: EPIC]