Hybrid News

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, GM

There are already millions of flex-fuel vehicles on the road today, and manufacturers like General Motors have committed to building many, many more. In fact, GM has plans for half of their entire fleet of automotive offerings to be flex-fuel capable by the year 2012. According to Jim Wagoner, GM’s CEO, if all of the flex-fuel vehicles that are currently on the roads were actually powered by E85, the U.S. could displace 22 billion gallons of gasoline annually. This raises a serious problem, though, considering that there are only about 1,400 E85 pumps in the entire country. Many of those are all clustered in a few Midwestern states. In view of this, Wagoner suggests that the U.S. needs about ten times as many E85 pumps than are currently operational.

No matter what your view of E85 may be, you likely agree that using food crops such as corn is not the best choice. In lieu of corn, Wagoner suggests investing more heavily in cellulosic ethanol (which is exactly what GM is doing with Coskata in the deal announced today). There is plenty more to read here, where you can read the text of the Wagoner’s entire speech. You’ll also encounter a couple of very, very bad jokes. Enjoy!

[Source: General Motors, CNET Green Tech blog]

 

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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD Step behind the curtain at Ford Motor. Experience the documentary first-hand.

Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Green Daily

Ever justified buying something you know you shouldn’t have purchased? Getting the fries instead of the salad for an extra dollar because you’re hungry and, hey, it’s just a buck? Or maybe you bought a way-too-big house because the ARM was so affordable (emphasis on the “was″)? Well, you’ll have your work cut out for you if you want to spring for the DiMora Natalia SLS 2. The price? A cool two million dollars.

Obviously only intended for the insane - wait, I meant insanely wealthy - the Natalia SLS 2 should be out next year and the justifications have begun. Described by My Desert as “the first eco-friendly, hand-built, $2 million production automobile” (let’s hope there isnt’ a second), celebrities like Willie Nelson and Larry Hagman are ready to tell us just how good this car can be for the environment. Willie’s usually a pusher for biodiesel, not ethanol, but he was excited about the flex-fuel capability of the Natalia SLS 2. He didn’t say anything about the car itself. We can guess that’s because it’s got a V-16 that displaces 14 liters for 1,200 horsepower, which certainl doesn’t sound green. Still, DiMora Motorcar says its flagship vehicle will get “excellent gas mileage.” Oh, and it’s got some nifty windshield wipers.

Look, if you’re thinking of blowing $2m on a car, go get help. Better yet, buy a spaceship and head for the stars. We don’t need your kind here. If you want to impress your neighbors, buy a Tesla or a Fisker or convince Honda to sell you an FCX Clarity or something. Green cars are smart, but two million bucks for a sedan is just dumb.

[Source: My Desert via Ecorazzi]

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Legislation and Policy, USA

The U.S. Air Force is trying to make its ground vehicles a little less petroleum fuel-hungry. It has advanced li-ion battery contracts out and funded the Silverado EV. The company Xcelplus International Inc. announced this week that it and MAG International Inc. will be providing the Air Force with a “new fleet of off road vehicles designed to reduce exhaust emissions.” The reduced emissions for the 450 vehicles come from flexfuel conversions and then running the unnamed vehicles on E85. Aside from the secrecy of the vehicles involved, the amount the company will receive for the conversions was also not stated. One thing that isn’t hush-hush, though, is that a lot of taxpayer money will be funneled through the Pentagon to increase fuel efficiency for “warfighters” for a long time to come. More detail after the break.

Press Release:

Flex Fuel Conversions for the U.S. Air Force

HARTFIELD, Va., May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — Xcelplus International Inc. (Pink Sheets: XLPI) announces the pending appointment of MAG International Inc. (http://www.maginternationalinc.com/) as a new OEM distributor of Flextek Flex Fuel Conversion technology (http://www.flextek.com/).

The U.S. Air Force recently accepted MAG′s bid to provide a new fleet of off road vehicles designed to reduce exhaust emissions. Reducing the exhaust emissions of its fleet is a major concern of the Air Force. The vehicles supplied by MAG will use Flextek technology to allow the vehicles to utilize emission reducing ᭉ fuel.

As an OEM Flextek distributor, MAG will be marketing to military installations and other government facilities as well as private off-road vehicle purchasers including farms, refineries, stadiums, hotels, resorts, casinos, amusement parks, airports, building complexes, universities and colleges.

“We are very excited about the purchase and OEM agreements with MAG International Inc.,” said Bill R. Smith, president of Xcelplus International Inc. “We have been saying for some time now that rising concerns about exhaust emissions and record high gasoline prices will work to make Flextek a household name in fuel conservation. The decision of MAG International to use Flextek as part of their military application package marks a major milestone for Xcelplus.” Their initial order of 450 plus units is a great start to this new relationship.

This press release may contain certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbors created thereby. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Although Xcelplus International believes that the assumptions underlying the forward-looking statements contained herein are reasonable, any assumption could be inaccurate, and therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward-looking statements included in this press release will prove to be accurate. In light of the significant uncertainties inherent in the forward-looking statements included herein, the inclusion should not be regarded as a representation by Xcelplus International or any other person that the objective and plans of Xcelplus International will be achieved.

[Source: Xcelplus International Inc.]

 

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Toyota, Asia

Although Toyota is the undisputed leader in hybrid sales, it has shied away from offering ᭉ-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]

 

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Original post by Jeremy Korzeniewski

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel, Lotus

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel

British sportscar-maker and engineering firm Lotus may be known for its lightweight vehicles, but in the industry it still packs a punch as a heavyweight. It’s that weight which Lotus is throwing behind methanol as the most viable alternative fuel.

Towards that end, at this year’s Geneva motor show Lotus unveiled the flex-fuel 270E prototype based on the lightweight Exige sportscar. The vehicle is designed to run on gasoline, ethanol or methanol, but it’s the latter which the company feels is the most viable for the near future. Like bio-ethanol, methanol can be made from natural materials, or can be made from hydrogen combined with CO₂ pulled out of the thin air, which allows for zero-emissions operation. The most convenient aspect, however, is that most car engines on the road today could be converted to run on methanol.

[Source: Automotive News Europe - subs. req’d]

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Original post by Noah Joseph

Filed under: Ethanol, Flex-Fuel

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.

Press Release:

Ethanol Industry Fights Back in Nashville

NASHVILLE, Tenn., June 23 /PRNewswire/ — The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries is taxing the industrial world into a global depression and Big Oil is behind this year’s vicious assaults on corn-based ethanol. The world’s largest ethanol conference began with those blunt messages last week here in Music City, USA, where nearly 4,000 people gathered for the 24th annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop & Expo (FEW), a BBI International event.

The dramatic opening session, featuring a provocative speech by Robert Zubrin, author of Energy Victory: Winning the War on Terror by Breaking Free of Oil, is now available online at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/2008few

28 minutes into the video, Bob Dinneen, president and CEO of the Renewable Fuels Association, tells the audience that the oil industry has staged a massive propaganda campaign against ethanol. According to Dinneen, the oil industry saw one-third of its market share slipping away and concocted an enormous campaign against renewables. “They sit on editorial boards of every major newspaper,” he says, adding that Big Oil “bought themselves some studies” and teamed up with major food companies to create a giant smokescreen. “They need to stop us now, but they won′t,” he says, adding that rising food prices are in part due to demand from developing countries like China and India and changing diets of people around the world. Of course, the price of oil is paramount to this debate, and Dinneen hit home this message by saying, “We can′t produce $2.50 corn with $4.50 diesel.”

Approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes into the video Zubrin gives a compelling account of the OPEC’s strategic will to control global oil output and prices. In 1972, the United States spent $4 billion on oil imports, or 4.5 percent of the U.S. defense budget. This year, the United States will spend $650 billion on imported oil. As Zubrin puts it, “$650 billion isn’t just money, it’s power.”

Zubrin — who sold more than 500 books after his speech — tells the audience that OPEC has placed a “slow choke″ on world oil supplies, and the only way to “change the trump suit″ is by mandating all vehicles sold in the United States to be flex-fueled (E85 capable) giving consumers a fuel choice. A flexible-fuel vehicle mandate would end the chicken and egg dilemma that’s hampered the development of E85 refueling infrastructure. “This would crash the oil price to $50 a barrel,” he tells the crowd. “This is how you smash OPEC.”

Watch the entire opening session of the FEW, free of charge, at http://www.ustream.tv/channel/2008few

About the FEW:

The International Fuel Ethanol Workshop &amp Expo (FEW) is the premier international conference for ethanol plant personnel, equipment manufacturers, service providers and developers. The show’s technical workshops offer featured panels on emerging technologies like corn fractionation, cellulosic ethanol, water and energy efficiency, non-fossil fuel power, plant management and safety. This year, the FEW Expo featured more than 600 exhibiting companies and an international networking pavilion. The 25th annual FEW — the event’s silver anniversary — will be held in Denver June 15-18, 2009. For more information, visit http://www.fuelethanolworkshop.com/.

[Source: BBI International]

 

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Original post by Sebastian Blanco