Originally published February 13 2006
GM lends its leadership and vehicles to a project testing an alternative fuel
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
At the Los Angeles Auto Show, General Motors announced that will lead a partnership of companies that will test E85 as a fuel for motor vehicles in GM flex-fuel vehicles.
General Motors has announced it will lead a joint demonstration project in partnership with the state of California, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Pacific Ethanol to learn more about consumer awareness and acceptance of E85 as a motor vehicle fuel by demonstrating its use in GM's flexible-fuel vehicles.
GM plans to offer up to 100 E85-capable Chevrolet Impala passenger cars and Silverado pickup trucks for consideration in the state's annual competitive bid process.
The ethanol project is designed to explore the merits of E85 to help meet that goal, and its potential to meet and exceed California's high standards for fuel quality and environmental emissions.
Although somewhat lower in energy content, ethanol delivers similar performance as regular gasoline and is a renewable, domestically-produced fuel.
E85, a blend of 85% ethyl alcohol and 15% gasoline, is produced from the starch and sugar in agricultural products, primarily domestically-produced corn.
For GM, this collaboration with the state of California is an important first step in helping create and grow an E85 refueling infrastructure for its E85-capable vehicles currently on the road and in showrooms, says Elizabeth A. Lowery, GM's vice president of environment and energy.
GM has made a major commitment to E85 flexible fuel vehicles in the United States, with 1.5 million of these vehicles on the road today.
For the 2006 model year, GM offers nine E85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo.
In Europe, the GM-owned Saab brand is making significant headway with the E85-fueled Saab 9-5 BioPower, which is now available to consumers in Sweden and Germany.
A 310 hp concept version of the 9-5 BioPower debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show to illustrate how Saab might extend this initiative to the United States.
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