Flex-Fuel Vehicles: Is E85 Ethanol Fuel The First Step To Beating? "Oil addiction?"
During his State of the Union address on January 31, 2006, President George W. Bush presented a plan to the people of the United States and the United States Congress to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports. of the Middle East by 2025. He spoke of hybrid cars, hydrogen-based fuel cell cars and the expansion of ethanol-powered vehicles. Ethanol-based technology is here, there are already about 5 million Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) already on the road in the U.S. The FFV can run on regular unleaded gasoline or a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent regular unleaded gasoline (known as E85) or any percent ethanol-gasoline blend in between.
The expansion of FFV is, in my opinion, an opportunity for General Motors and Ford to step forward and show the American people that they can compete by building vehicles that are more environmentally friendly and that do not depend on products that we care about. the politically volatile. Middle East.
Ford showed off an ethanol hybrid SUV last January at the Washington, DC auto show, as reported by USA Today writer James R. Healy. This E85-burning hybrid Ford Escape is part of “a development program, not a research program,” according to Ford Executive Vice President Anne Stevens. This means that the American consumer will find these vehicles in showrooms sooner rather than later.
USA Today writer James R. Healy did a cover story on Thursday, February 22, 2006, highlighting the message from the States of the Union address that E85 is not the answer because, among other things, the infrastructure is not in place except in the Midwest. And if you don’t own one of the 5 million FFVs currently on the road, you’ll need to buy a new car that can use E85. I understand these very valid points, but I must also say that it is February 2006 as I write this article and that 2025 is still 19 years away. The technology is here; we just have to get on with the new technology now to reduce dependence on foreign oil imports in the future.
In his USA Today feature article, Mr. Healy noted that Ford CEO Bill Ford claims his company will increase FFV production 25% this year to 250,000. It was also noted that General Motors has committed to building more than 400,000 FFVs annually, starting this year. Considering that one barrel of oil is saved for every 37 gallons of E85 used.
Mr. Healy’s lead article made an interesting point: Most of the cars on the road today in America do not require any modification to run on Gasohol, which is a mixture of 90 percent gasoline and 10 percent ethanol. By taking the first step of using the 10 percent ethanol blend, we, as the American driving public, can accomplish a couple of things. First, we can help the environment by burning cleaner fuel in our current cars. Second, we can acknowledge to automakers that the American consumer is serious about alternative renewable fuels. This would perhaps prompt other manufacturers to join General Motors and Ford in offering expanded options in the FFV line. Third, this would give the production facilities time to prepare the tools, as well as a ready and willing market to expand. Fourth, this should help American farmers by increasing the price of corn that is widely used in ethanol production. Fifth, this would also give more fuel stations time to begin making the necessary additions to their storage facilities to accommodate E85 fuel. This will not happen overnight, but slowly over time. The next time you are looking for a new vehicle, an FFV may be a viable option for you.
Manufacturers will build the vehicles demanded by the public. If you think an E85 fuel vehicle can meet your needs the next time you buy a vehicle, do your research and do what is right for you. Remember that the flexibility of a vehicle with E85 fuel does not restrict your trip to only areas that have E85, because it will also run on normal unleaded fuel. For additional information, you can visit http://www.e85fuel.com for the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition.
