Hummer has announced enhancements to their 2010 H3 and H3T. The new enhancements include an E85 Flex Fuel capable 5.3L V8 engine and three new exterior colors (Red Rock Metallic, Silver Stone Metallic, and Canyon Metallic). The new engines will be standard for all 2010 Alpha Series models. These new engines feature 300 HP and an aluminum cylinder block that should help reduce overall mass and maintain a balanced front-to-rear weight balance.

These new models are expected to arrive by December, 2009 in North America. The H3 will be priced starting at $33,390 while the H3T starts at $30,915.

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(Source) Press

Tags: alpha series, aluminum cylinder, cylinder block, e85 flex fuel, enhancements, exterior colors, H3, H3T, hp, HUMMER, image credits, new engines, north america, series models, silver stone, weight balance

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Here’s an awesome question for all you green motor enthusiasts out there:  which car is more green, an electric Tesla roadster or a car powered by bioethanol?  Here are two points to consider by way of the Biofuels Institute:

*  The Tesla gets its juice from a power plant that is burning coal, which means it has 2.095 pounds of CO2 per kWh and can go 3.12 miles per kWh.

* The theoretical corn-ethanol E85-burning vehicle puts out CO2 according to the GREET model (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) for lifecycle emissions and is operating at the proposed new CAFE standards.

These facts by themselves don’t mean a whole lot, but when you follow them to their logical conclusion what you get is a downright shocker: as it turns out, the E85 car is actually THIRTY PERCENT GREENER (in that it generates thirty percent fewer CO2 emissions over the course of both vehicles’ hundred and forty five thousand mile life spans) than the Tesla Roadster.

I was pretty shocked to hear that myself.  Now the next time someone looks all smug in their electric car while you’re filling up on flexfuel, just look at them, shake your head sadly, and know that you’re greener than thou.

Tags: e85 flex fuel, e85 vehicles, Ethanol, Tesla, tesla motors, tesla roadster

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In a move to help address the growing problem of fuel and oil, Propel Fuels has reportedly partnered with Enterprise Rent-a-Car to fuel rental cars in the Sacramento area with renewable E85 Flex Fuel. This first-of-its-kind program in the area helps educate Enterprise customers on how to “fuel green and save green” with Propel E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent.

Enterprise has the largest “Flex Fuel” rental fleet in the nation, with over 73,000 vehicles able to run on standard gasoline or E85. Twelve Sacramento Enterprise locations have been selected to participate in the pilot program starting Q2 of 2009, giving customers an opportunity to try alternative fuels when they rent a Flex Fuel vehicle. Propel recently opened five Clean Fuel Points in the Sacramento area that serve E85 as well as biodiesel.

Clean Fuel Points accept major credit and fleet cards and are open 24/7, offering convenience to Enterprise customers. Enterprise customers will be educated about the opportunity to use Propel’s stations to fuel their rental cars.

(Source) Press

Tags: alternative fuels, convenience, e85 flex fuel, enterprise customers, enterprise locations, enterprise rent a car, environmental protection agency, Ethanol, fleet cards, flex fuel vehicle, gasoline, greenhouse gas emissions, pilot program, rental cars, rental fleet, sacramento area

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