6.16.09
NEVC to become Growth Energy Market Development
Focus on Proliferating Blender Pumps and FFVs
At
the 2009 Fuel Ethanol Workshop, the National Ethanol
Vehicle Coalition (NEVC) announced that it intends to
unite with Growth Energy and become Growth Energy Market
Development. In that role, they will continue in their
13-year mission to increase the availability of higher
ethanol blends and flex fuel vehicles (FFVs). The
additional resources will bolster Growth Energy’s
aggressive goals to proliferate blender pumps across the
country.
“For
more than a decade, the National Ethanol Vehicle
Coalition has been carrying on the important mission of
increasing the availability and use of ethanol,”
said Retired Gen. Wesley Clark, Co-Chairman of Growth
Energy. “We are excited that they decided to
join forces with us and continue that work as a part of
Growth Energy.”
Read more
4.16.09
Comments Requested for E15 Increase
EPA is seeking public comment on a waiver application to
increase the amount of ethanol that can be blended into
a gallon of gasoline to up to 15 volume percent (E15).
Since 1978, the limit has been at ten volume percent
ethanol (E10) for conventional (non flex-fuel) vehicles.
The comment period will be open for 30 days after the
notice is published in the Federal Register. Growth
Energy and 54 ethanol manufacturers submitted the E15
application to EPA on March 6, 2009. Current statute
calls for EPA to make a decision within 270 days of
receipt, which is December 1, 2009. The Federal Register
notice for this action will be published on April 22,
2009. A link will be provided at that time.
2.4.09
Status Update: Clarification of
Ethanol Certification Limits for Legacy Equipment
(December
2008) Recent articles in the media and technical references
regarding permissible ethanol blends and blend limits
associated with Underwriters Laboratories (UL)
certifications have generated a lot of questions and led to
confusion. Discussions about blended fuels are certainly
complicated, especially as the topic continues to evolve.
With political and industry focus on possibly increasing
ethanol content for commonly used gasohol blends, UL would
like to clarify limitations associated with current UL
listings to the standard UL 87.
UL
listed gasoline dispensers—those legacy dispensers currently
in service and used most often in gas stations around the
country today—are certified under UL 87 and authorized for
dispensing blends up to 10% ethanol, or E10. Because UL
often uses safety margins during testing, some subassemblies
have been tested with fuels containing 15% ethanol (leading
to some technical references to this level; but that does
not mean that those dispensers are certified to dispense
fuels containing greater than 10% ethanol).
UL is
currently working with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)
and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on its
ongoing research to investigate the impact of using higher
ethanol blends in current legacy vehicles and engine systems
(that were not originally designed for use with ethanol
blend levels above E10). If new federal guidelines are
established that approve higher ethanol blend levels for
public use, UL will review products currently certified
under UL 87 to determine whether UL can provide data
enabling the authorities having jurisdiction to approve such
use.
UL
did announce the establishment of new safety requirements
for higher ethanol fuel-blend dispensing equipment on
October 16, 2007. These requirements (Subject UL 87A) are
available to manufacturers looking to get their equipment
tested and certified for ethanol fuel blends greater than
10% and up to 85%. This means that dispensing equipment
evaluated to the requirements in Subject 87A would be
considered to be acceptable for dispensing blends with any
ethanol content up to 85%. UL will continue to test and
certify new equipment to these higher-level blends as we
work with the DOE and EPA regarding legacy systems.
For
more information, visit the UL Web site.
1.22.09
Max Arnold & Sons Celebrate E85 Refueling Grand Opening
in Murray
Thursday, January 22, 2009 - Gerald
White, VP of retail sales for Max Arnold and Sons LLC,
cut the ribbon officially opening the fourth E85 site
owned and operated by the company. The BP on Main
Street in Murray offered E85 for 85 cents all day. The
standard price is anticipated to be approximately 20
cents below gasoline.
Bob
Arnold chats with guests at the E85 Grand Opening in
Murray.
11.17.08
Max Fuel Opens Additional E85 Refueling Location
Kentucky
Flex-Fuel Vehicle drivers have more opportunities to find
E85 refueling now that Max Arnold & Sons has added another
site in Murray. The new Max Fuel site is located at
1302 Main Street
(Max Fuel #43).
Click here for a list of all
E85 refueling sites.
10.20.08
GM Looking for E85 Users
The Biofuels Engineering Team
at General Motors is looking for GM FFV owners that have
used E85 'extensively' in their flex fuel vehicle. The
vehicle must have used E85 75-100% of the time during the
life of the vehicle. If you know of any vehicles that
qualify under these conditions, and the owner is willing to
work with GM's engineering team, please call Randy Jennings
(Tennessee Dept. of Agriculture) at 615-837-5327.
9.26.08
E85
Now Available in Simpsonville
On
Friday, September
26th, the Chevron station at Exit #28 in Simpsonville along
Interstate 64 will begin selling E85!
Joe Weaver, owner, noted that he is .01 miles from the interstate
and welcomes all retail customers, including the state fleet
vehicles (he does take the Fleet One card)!
Chevron
1101 Buck Creek Road
Simpsonville, KY
502.751.4757
8.28.08
E85 Technical Support Program available
GM and the
National Governors' Association has developed and E85 Technical
Support Program to facilitate the installation of E85 pumps in up to
8 states. An application
has been sent to all state Governor's. If you haven't heard about
the program it may be worth a phone call to the Governor's office to
see if your Clean Cities Coordinator can assist.
8.21.08
Thornton's offers E85 Fuel in Louisville as part of
multi-state Corridor Project
Thorntons is excited to announce the
addition of E-85 fuel at the store located at
2700 Fern
Valley Road, Louisville, KY. This will be the first
Thorntons station in the Louisville area to carry the
environmentally friendly fuel. Thorntons currently has 6 locations
throughout the company with E-85 fuel - 3 in Illinois, 2 in Indiana
and 1 in Kentucky.
The Fern Valley Road location joins
over 25 E85 other retail sites along Interstate 65. The “E85 for I
65 – from Lake Michigan to the Gulf of Mexico” project includes
Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama. The corridor project was
awarded $1.3 million dollars from the U.S. Department of Energy.
E-85 is an
alcohol-based fuel, comprised of just 15 percent petroleum. Ethanol
can be made from virtually any agriculture feedstock from which
starch is derived, such as sugar cane, wheat or milo. Today, the
vast majority of domestic ethanol is produced from corn, an abundant
and renewable grain.
E-85 as
an alternative fuel has experienced tremendous growth in the last
ten years. The growth is due primarily to the fuel's many benefits
as a renewable fuel that helps create a cleaner environment, boosts
the U.S. economy and reduces oil imports.
“We
are very excited about the expansion of E-85 fuel in our stores,”
said
Matt Thornton, Chief Executive Officer of Thorntons.
“We support the use of ethanol, wherever it is economically
available”.
5.1.08
Kentucky's Fifth E85 Pump opens in Mayfield
Max Arnold & Sons has installed E85 in
Mayfield, Kentucky. Their MaxFuel retail site - Store #44,
is located at 100 College Street, Mayfield, KY 42006.
E85 is available starting today, Thursday, May 1, 2008.
4.19.08
Alltech Affiliate Ecofin
Receives Grant of Up to $30 million for Rural Community
Biorefinery
Today, Ecofin received a grant
of up to $30 million from the U.S. Department of Energy
(DOE) to be used towards the establishment of its rural
community biorefinery. The plant will be located in
Springfield, Kentucky and is estimated to employ 93 people
when operating at full capacity.
As part of the DOE proposal,
Ecofin’s rural community biorefinery will be one of the
first in the United States to utilize cellulose, such as
switch grass, corn cobs and corn stover, at raw material
levels of up to 30 percent. This will be converted to
ethanol and other value-added products.
Read more
GM North America President
Troy Clarke spoke at the Midwest Automotive Media Association Breakfast
recently during the kickoff to the Chicago Auto Show. He took the
opportunity to announce that the company's ethanol partner, Coskata
Inc., will open a pilot ethanol production plant later this year
and a full-production plant in late 2010. The Coskata plant will
be the world's first plant to mass-produce ethanol from biomass.
Read more...
Ethanol - 10.16.07
Underwriters Laboratories
Announces Development of Certification Requirements for
E85 Dispensers
Underwriters Laboratories (UL), North America’s leading
safety testing and certification organization, announced
the establishment of safety requirements for E85 fuel
dispensing equipment, and is now accepting submittals
for certification investigations.
Read more...
An alcohol based liquid
fuel, Ethanol is used as an oxygenate in 10 - 15% form
and as a primary fuel in its 85% mixture. It is
renewable and made from corn, sugar cane or carbohydrate
feedstock. All vehicles are capable of running on an
ethanol blend below 15%. Vehicles capable of operating
on E85 can be purchased from the auto manufacturers
today. These vehicles are "flexible-fuel" vehicles -
meaning they can operate on E85 or gasoline or any
mixture of them both.