In This Issue:

FYI Newsletter Volume 9, Issue 4, March 11, 2004 

•  Military Base in Florida Now Carries E85

 •  NEVC Board and Membership Meeting
    a Success

•  VeraSun Energy to Join NEVC Board

•  Large Attendance at the Commodity Classic

•  Betting on E85 Hospitality
    Reception – the HIGHLIGHT of
    the Commodity Classic

•  2005 E85 Compatible Chevrolet
    Police Package Tahoe

•  Letters to the NEVC

Military Base in Florida Now Carries E85

Hurlburt Field Airforce Base near Fort Walton Beach, Florida recently became the seventh Air Force Base in the nation to add E85 to their line of fuels.  The renewable product will power more than 44 flexible-fuel vehicles on base. 

“We did this to comply with Executive Order 13149 of Greening the Government,” said SMSgt. Greg Nabors of Hurlburt Field.  Executive Order 13149 requires federal fleets to reduce their petroleum use by 20% by 2005.  “The Hurlburt Field Fuels Team recognized the opportunity to comply with the mandates and think it is a reflection upon the POLCAT’s at Hurlburt Field, Florida commitment to excellence to continue to meet and exceed environmental milestones set forth through the Air Force and Department of Defense.” 

The project itself was not an easy task.  The existing tanks the base had in place were not compatible and presented a potential environmental hazard. “It involved removing two 12,000 gallon tanks from concrete saddles and single hose dispensers and replacing them with two new 12,000 gallon tanks on steel saddles and new dual hose dispensers. It also required a new off-loading pump and piping for receiving E85,” said SMSgt. Nabors.   

Other fuels at Hurlburt Field include unleaded, diesel and biodiesel.  A Grand Opening event is being planned soon.

  

NEVC Board and Membership Meeting a Success

Almost fifty members and interested persons attended the NEVC’s Annual 2004 Board and Membership Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada on March 1.  The meeting, held in conjunction with the Commodity Classic, brought together corn grower members, ethanol producers, automobile manufacturer representatives, individual NEVC members and many others.

Issued discussed were the adoption of the 2004 legislative agenda, NEVC procedures and practices, and the nomination and selection of Board Members.

Serving during 2004 on the NEVC Executive Committee are:  Chairman Todd Sneller, Chairman of the Nebraska Ethanol Board; Vice-Chairman Curtis Donaldson, President of  Clean Fuel Technologies; and Treasurer/Secretary Robert White, Director of Marketing of the Kansas Corn Commission/Kansas Corn Grower Association.  An election of new board members also took place and those selected were: Mike Allen representing Ethanol Producers and Consumer, (EPAC); Bill Honnef representing VeraSun Energy; and Brent Rockhold representing the Missouri Corn Growers Association.  Congratulations to all!

Following the business portion of the meeting, presenters from the Renewable Fuels Association, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and Roger Listenberger from the NEVC staff addressed the crowd.

Thank you to all who made the 2004 Annual Board and Membership meeting productive.

VeraSun Energy to Join NEVC Board
 
Bill Honnef, VeraSun’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was recently appointed to the board of the NEVC.  According to Honnef, “VeraSun feels E85 holds great promise.  We recognize and appreciate the role the automotive industry has played in getting flexible fuel vehicles to the market.  We believe that ethanol producers can play a vital role in the successful growth of the E85 use in those vehicles.  We are honored to represent ethanol producers on the NEVC board.”

VeraSun Energy is one of the newest ethanol producers to join the growing industry.  Their 100 million gallons per year (mgy) plant, located in Aurora, South Dakota, came online in late 2003.   

The successful startup of the VereaSun plant establishes a new landmark for the ethanol industry.  At 100mgy, the plant is the largest green-field dry-grind ethanol plant to be built in the country.  The large format plant was developed in an effort to build greater efficiencies in the ethanol production process.  

Honnef states, “We believe our responsibility as an ethanol producer goes beyond providing quality products.  We are focused on finding and developing new ethanol markets.  With over three million flexible fuel vehicles on the road today, and the promise of millions more in the future, E85 use is clearly an opportunity.” 


VeraSun Energy's new plant in Aurora, SD
 

Large Attendance at the Commodity Classic

Gambling wasn’t the only way attendees spent their time at the 2004 Commodity Classic in Las Vegas, Nevada the week of March 1.  The NEVC estimated almost 3,000 people visited our exhibit booth at the event.  Over 4,000 people were reported attending the conference all-together. 

“The NEVC booth was inundated with farmers and their families,” said Michelle Kautz, Director of Communications for the NEVC.  “Many wanted to know if their vehicle could be fueled by the renewable fuel.  They were very excited to see us and know that we were there to promote what they grow.”   

Ford Motor Company and General Motors co-sponsored a booth with the NEVC.  A Chevrolet Silverado and Ford Taurus were displayed in the booth area.

Betting on E85 Hospitality Reception – the HIGHLIGHT of the Commodity Classic


Gary Herwick from General
Motors addressed the crowd
at the reception.

 The Betting on E85 Hospitality Reception, co-sponsored by General Motors, offered food, drinks, and entertainment to all who attended.  The reception took place the evening of March 1 at the Las Vegas Hilton. 

At 8 p.m., Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC, introduced Gary Herwick, Manager of Alternative Fuels for General Motors.  He addressed the crowd:

“Working together with the NEVC, we are going to target the millions of owners of GM FFVs and try to create awareness among them about the features and benefits of E85 and then we are going to try and steer those FFV owners to an E85 station near them and see if we can’t get them to try a tank-full. 

Additionally, we will work with our dealers and their employees and help them to understand the features and benefits of E85 so they can pass along that knowledge to our customers. 

Lastly, we will continue to build on the events we conducted last year, working together with friends and partners to raise awareness for this alternative fuel.  We don’t have any firm dates or locations at this point but look for us to possibly show up in your community trying to increase the use of E85.” 

Following Herwick’s remarks, Elvis Presley took the stage and performed for almost an hour.   

Thank you General Motors for your continued support of E85.  Many attendees commented how the Betting on E85 Hospitality Reception was the HIGHLIGHT of the Commodity Classic.

2005 E85 Compatible Chevrolet Police Package Tahoe

A new E85 package will soon be brought to you by General Motors.  The 2005 E85-compatible Chevrolet Police Package Tahoe is intended to be a multipurpose vehicle that will help law enforcement agencies meet the demands post 9-11.  GM is hoping that police agencies will consider this new SUV package in place of their sedans.

  “What we have here (with the Police Tahoe) is a new niche because nobody else has this kind of vehicle,” said Brian McVeigh, general manager of GM Fleet Commercial Operations.

GM hopes that the package will regain sale loss after their discontinued Caprice sedan in 1996 and the Chevrolet Impala which sold only 10,000 last year.  The Ford Interceptor was responsible for most of the 45,000-unit demand for the police vehicles. 

General Motors also will offer in 2005 the flexible-fuel 5.3L V-8 engine Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickup and the 5.3L Vortec-engine Suburban, Yukon and Yukon XLs.
 

 Letters to the NEVC

Letters to the NEVC - This section highlights emails that the NEVC has recently received.  Many of the comments or suggestions that we receive are of interest to a wider audience and we would like to share them with our readers.

  

Congratulations

Michelle and Phil, 

Congratulations on your recent partnership with the GM Corporation for the promotion of E85.  It is great to see auto manufacturers taking the next step towards a market that is not dependent on foreign petroleum and one that is helping our rural local economies. 

GM has always been one of three main sponsors of the Formula Society of Automotive Engineers Collegiate Competition, held in Pontiac, Michigan each year.  The Formula SAE event is internationally recognized as the top student engineering competition in the world, with 140 teams competing.  Big thanks to GM! 

The Cyclone Racing Formula SAE Team is working hard here at Iowa State University  to promote E85--Thanks in part to the NEVC's support of our program.  We look forward to the E85 event featuring our ethanol-powered racecar at the Iowa State Capitol on April 19.  The E85 powered racecar is well on its way to being completed for the annual competition in May and we are visiting several addition events around Iowa to promote E85 including the State Science Fair and FFA conventions.   

I hope the new partnership is an enormous success.  Thanks to both the NEVC and GM for all of the support of our team and the Formula SAE competition. 

Andy Eis
Project Director, Cyclone Racing Formula Team
Senior, Mechanical Engineering, Iowa State University

E85 vs. E10?

I was in Columbia, MO last week and fueled at a Hi Vee which had ethanol.  I was a little confused.  The pump advertised the ethanol was safe to be used in all cars.  Was this E10 or E85? 

Lew

. . .

Lew,

The ethanol in which they were advertising at the Hi Vee was the blend of 10% or E10.  E10 can be used in all vehicles on the road today.  E85, however, is a blend of 85% ethanol that can only be used in flexible-fuel vehicles.  A listing of these vehicles can be found on the NEVC website. 

-Michelle Kautz

Updated Website

Sir,

I just wanted to know how frequently your site is updated for refueling locations.  By going through this site, http://www.afdc.nrel.gov/refueling.html, I get different results when I look at the states of Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and Washington.  I am based in California and do business in these other states and would like to use the E85 option that my vehicle comes with.  Unfortunately there don't seem to be many opportunities here on the west coast.  I am also writing the other site with the same question.

Jay M. Osborne IV

. . .

Jay,

The NEVC web site is updated every day with the most accurate information that is available.  That is not to say that we do not have errors, but we do feel that the locations of public E85 fueling sites that are included on our web site are the most accurate available.

- Phil Lampert

Thanks for the emails to the NEVC!  Feel free to email us with your comments at anytime.

NEVC Calendar

 

March 13, 2004
Grand Opening of the VeraSun facility at the Swiftel Center, located just east of Interstate 29 on Highway 14 in Brookings, SD.  For more information, visit www.verasun.com.

March 15-17, 2004
Midwest Petroleum Marketers Expo in Omaha, Nebraska.  For more information call (515) 224-7545.

March 19, 2004
Grand Opening Celebration of Cenex Ampride at 1102 South Highway 169 in Smithville, MO.  E85 will be sold for 85 cents from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m.  For more information, call the NEVC office.

April 17-20, 2004
 National Association of Fleet Administrators Conference in Atlanta, GA.  For more information, visit http://www.nafa.org/
May 2-5, 2004
10th Annual National Clean Cities Conference at Greater Ft. Lauderdale/Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL.  For more information, visit http://www.ccities.doe.gov/conference/lauderdale/

June 13-15, 2004
14th Annual EPAC Ethanol Conference at the Great Northern Hotel in Helena, Montana.  For more information, email shirley@ethanolmt.org.

July 20-22, 2004
FedFleet 2004:  The Road to the Future is Now at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, NY.  For more information, visit www.fedfleet.org.


 CONTACT US. . .

Please feel free to e-mail your story suggestions, comments, corrections or clarifications to us at info@e85fuel.com or call us toll free at 877-485-8595.

Phillip J. Lampert, Executive Director
info@e85.com

Randa Barker, Director of Administration
info@e85.com

Michelle Kautz, Director of Communications
 mkautz@e85fuel.com

Roger Listenberger, Director of E85 Fuel Networking
rlistenberger@e85fuel.com

Louise Saucier, Membership Coordinator
lsaucier@e85fuel.com

Christi Vander Voort, NEVC Iowa E85 Coordinator
cvandervoort@e85fuel.com


You may view this FYI online at
http://www.e85fuel.com/news/index.htm

NEVC  promotes the use of 85 percent ethanol as a renewable form of alternative transportation fuel while enhancing agricultural profitability, advancing environmental stewardship and promoting national energy independence.