Auto news and reviews from Car Buyer's Notebook.com: Ethanol Archives

June 7, 2008

Cadillac Escalade Adds FlexFuel Capability for 2009

ATLANTA – All models of the 2009 Cadillac Escalade will be able to run on either ordinary gasoline or E85 ethanol, or any combination of the two, General Motors announced Friday.

And customers will have the fueling choice at no additional cost.

The Escalade, Escalade EXT and Escalade ESV as well as the GMC Denali, join the previously announced 2009 Chevrolet HHR, Buick Lucerne and Hummer H2 and H2 SUT as additions to GM’s industry-leading flex-fuel lineup.

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June 3, 2008

Study: New-Vehicle Shoppers Link Biofuel With Increased Food Prices

IRVINE, Calif. -- According to the latest kbb.com Marketing Research study, 61 percent of new-vehicle shoppers believe that increased biofuel demand has tightened supplies of farmland and water worldwide, thereby pushing food prices up.

In addition, the May 2008 study results reveal that 58 percent of new-car shoppers do not think that national and state governments should subsidize farmers who produce crops aiding in the production of biofuel, such as the production of corn for ethanol-based E-85.

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May 23, 2008

As Gas Prices Soar, Fargo Station Discounts E85

FARGO, N.D. -- As oil and gasoline prices reach ever higher levels, the price of fuel at one North Dakota service station is going down -- at least for a couple of hours. On Friday, May 23, the Petro Serve USA station at 3902 Main Street in Fargo will lower the price of E85 by 85¢ per gallon from 3 - 5 p.m.

The promotion is sponsored by the American Lung Association of North Dakota, which promotes the cleaner-burning fuel as a less-polluting alternative to gasoline.

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May 22, 2008

U.S. DOE and GM Select 17 College Teams For "EcoCAR" Competition

Washington - The U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors and Natural Resources Canada today announced the 17 teams selected to participate in EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge, a collegiate vehicle engineering competition set to begin in the Fall of 2008.

EcoCAR will challenge university engineering students across North America to re-engineer a Saturn VUE to achieve improved fuel economy and reduced green house gas emissions, while retaining the vehicle's performance and consumer appeal.

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Challenge X Crosses the Finish Line

By Beth Lowery, Vice President, GM Environment, Energy & Safety Policy

Today I had the privilege of waving the checkered flag at the final Challenge X finish line.

The Mississippi State University Challenge X team with its Chevrolet Equinox

This is the second time in my life that I’ve been an official at an important race. Two years ago, I was the Official Starter at the GM FlexFuel 250 at Daytona International Speedway, which opened the 2006 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series season.

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Emerson Fittipaldi to Participate in Ethanol Summit at Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Two-time Indianapolis 500 winner, ethanol refiner and driver of the Corvette Z06 Indy 500 pace car powered by E85 Ethanol for the 92nd running of the Indianapolis 500, Emerson Fittipaldi will participate in the third annual Ethanol Summit and panel discussion held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Thursday, May 22 from 9:30-11 am in the North Pavilion.

Participants in the Ethanol Summit include:

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May 21, 2008

EcoCAR: The Next Competition from DOE and GM

EcoCAR: The NeXt Challenge is a new national collegiate competition series that kicks off in the Fall of 2008.

Sponsored by the DOE and GM as well as Natural Resources Canada and others, EcoCAR will challenge university engineering students across North America to design and build advanced propulsion solutions that are based on the vehicle categories from the California Air Resources Board (CARB) zero emissions vehicle (ZEV) regulations.

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Mississippi State Students Win GM and DOE Challenge X 2008 Competition

Washington, D.C. -- Mississippi State University, for the second consecutive year, has earned top honors in General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy's Challenge X student engineering competition.

Over the past nine months, the 2008 Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainability competition challenged 17 university teams from the U.S. and Canada to reengineer a Chevrolet Equinox that employs advanced powertrain technologies.

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GM Partners with Discovery Channel on Planet Green

New York, N.Y. General Motors and Discovery Communications today unveiled a multifaceted GM advertising sponsorship of Planet Green, the first and only 24-hour eco-lifestyle network coming to 50 million homes beginning June 4.

For GM, the partnership includes premier sponsorship of the network's landmark series "Greensburg," various vehicle and program integrations, short-form content and an online component.

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May 16, 2008

General Motors Powertrain Europe opens doors for Tech Show

Turin/Italy -- GM Powertrain Europe’s comprehensive Tech Show provides answers about how cars will be propelled in the future.

As part of the global GM Powertrain organization, GM Powertrain Europe has global responsibility for small diesel engines, diesel control systems, small gasoline engines and manual transmissions. Its footprint encompasses 15 facilities in 7 European countries, employing 9,000 people and producing on average more than 17,000 engines and transmissions per day.

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May 14, 2008

Volvo adds flexfuel option to high end vehicles

The Volvo V70 and S80 are now also available with a five-cylinder, 2.5-litre turbocharged Flexifuel engine with a power output of 200 hp (147 kW) and 300 Nm of torque.

"The 2.5-litre version adds spice to our environmental offer. It emphasises our aim to offer our buyers the possibility of combining performance with environmental responsibility. With 200 hp on tap, the driver gets a dynamic drive without compromising fuel economy," says Fredrik Arp, President and CEO of Volvo Car Corporation.

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May 13, 2008

GM Hosts Collegiate Advanced Tech Vehicles

Culminating four years of competition General Motors and the U.S. Department of Energy will host a finish line ceremony and press conference featuring vehicles from the collegiate engineering competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility.

The event marks the end of the Challenge X competition and concludes a 350-mile road rally from New York City to Washington, D.C. Following the press conference, select vehicles will be available for brief ride and drive opportunities.

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May 12, 2008

2008 Fuel Economy Guide Available for Download

The EPA has issued a comprehensive PDF guide to fuel economy of all 2008 vehicles, which you can download by right-clicking here.

In today's gas market, buyers are more sensitive than ever about buying cars that get good mileage, and more important, they want the government ratings to be as accurate as possible -- nobody wants to buy a vehicle that gets 10% worse mileage in the real world than the sticker rating.

To address this situation, the EPA has started using an updated test to assign more accurate MPG ratings to new vehicles, and you can learn about that by watching the video in this post.

May 10, 2008

Survey: Quest for Fuel Efficiency Changing Americans' Car Consciousness

Detroit, Mich. – With rising gas prices, today’s car buyers admit fuel efficiency and diversity is not just a necessity, it’s also fashion forward.

If Americans had to choose between driving a car that was beautiful on the outside vs. one that was “greener” on the inside, nearly eight in 10 Americans (79 percent) who plan to buy or lease a car within the next two years would choose the greener car.

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Student Teams Show Off "Green" Vehicles at New Jersey Ride and Drive

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and General Motors (GM) will host a behind-the-scenes opportunity to see the vehicles from the collegiate engineering competition Challenge X: Crossover to Sustainable Mobility in action.

The event is May 15, at Old Bridge Township Motorsports Park and is a stop on a road rally from New Jersey to Washington, D.C. Seventeen Chevrolet Equinoxes have been re-engineered by student teams using a range of cutting-edge clean vehicle technologies such as hybrid, plug-in or fuel cell propulsion systems.

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