DaimlerChrysler has recently made two important announcements that impact the E85 and Flexible Fuel Vehicle industry: the company no longer requires a special oil for their FFVs and that they will introduce three new FFV models in 2007.

A special synthetic oil has always been required for all DaimlerChrysler (DCX) FFVs but a DCX representative has confirmed the particular oil is no longer needed. The synthetic oil could only be purchased at DCX dealerships and was pricier than regular motor oil. Now, no special oil is recommended for the FFVs and it can be purchased at where you purchase any motor oil.

On May 2, DCX announced an addition to their FFV line-up. The 2007 4.7 liter Jeep Commander, Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Dakota will run on the clean burning alternative – E85. All 2007 DXC FFVs will be available for both public and fleet purchase.

NEVC staff along with more than 1,700 people attended the 11th Clean Cities Congress and Expo 2006, May 7-10, in Phoenix, Arizona.

About 85 exhibitors displayed their products and were on hand to speak about alternative fuels in the Phoenix Convention Center. The NEVC was on hand and many attendees inquired about when the fuel was to come to their area.

The NEVC addressed attendees in sessions such as media training, vendor track discussions, and a session called Driving Range: making Fuel Choices that will Take You Farther. The coalition also participated in the Ride and Drive with a E85 compatible Chevy Avalanche.

As a sponsor of the 2006 Clean Cities Congress, the NEVC hosted a Clean Cities Coordinators luncheon where local coordinators from across the nation were introduced to Chairman Curtis Donaldson and Vice-Chairman Greg Krissek.

This was a wonderful opportunity to inform the coordinators of the NEVC’s progress within the past year and our plans for the future,” said Donaldson. “We are very appreciative of their support.”

General Motors and Meijer recently announced that they plan on partnering in opening about twenty E85 fueling stations in the state of Indiana. The announcement was made during a ribbon cutting ceremony at the first of many Meijer E85 stations at the Pike Plaza 129 store in Indianapolis. Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (shown right), Lt. Governor Becky Skillman, and U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman (shown left) were on hand to celebrate the event.

“It’s no secret that our nation faces big challenges in the energy and transportation arena. Flexible fuel vehicles and E85 ethanol are proven options for substituting a clean burning renewable fuel for gasoline today, and I believe it should be our common goal that E85 ethanol becomes a nationwide fueling option,” said Secretary Bodman. “I want to thank Governor Daniels, Lt. Governor Skillman, GM and Meijer for their commitment to this goal. It is efforts like these—to expand the network of stations that can deliver E85 ethanol at the pump—that are producing gains in building more consumer demand for E85 ethanol in this country.”

Michelle Kautz, Director of Communication for the NEVC was present during the event. “We are very proud to have U.S. Secretary of Energy Bodman’s support of this locally grown fuel.”

The dispenser for the first Meijer dispenser and the first 3500 gallons of E85 was supplied by CleanFUEL USA.

“We are excited to work with Meijer to bring this alternative fuel to Indianapolis and to other cities within Indiana,” said Curtis Donaldson, CleanFUEL USA President and Chairman of the NEVC.

The effort is similar to announcements GM has already made with other state government, oil industry, ethanol producers, and retail partners in South Dakota, California, Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Texas. Since May of 2005, GM has announced partnerships with states and fuel providers around the country to locate, to date, up to 116 new E85 ethanol fueling locations by the end of 2006.

GM offers many E85 compatible vehicles which can all be found on the NEVC website at www.E85Fuel.com. More photos of this event can be found at http://www.e85fuel.com/news/051506_IN_photos.php.

U.S. Missouri Senator Kit Bond (left) joined the NEVC, farmers, agriculture officials and others for an Energy Roundtable at the NEVC office in Jefferson City. He also held a second roundtable discussion in Clayton, Missouri. Bond led the talk that stressed the importance on a national energy policy.

“A comprehensive energy policy is necessary to address the high cost of energy, provide additional opportunities for energy production and U.S. jobs, and reduce our growing dependence on foreign oil,” Bond said of ethanol at the NEVC office. “ Missouri farmers have taken the lead on developing innovative processing facilities to capture more of the valu3e of their products at home. I will continue to fight for policies and opportunities to strengthen and expand Missouri’s agriculture industry.”

”We currently have about 200,000 FFVs on Missouri roads at this time and only approximately 50 E85 fueling locations across the state to fuel them,” stated Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC. “There are not nearly enough facilities to meet the demand of the fuel.”

Bond and NEVC
Board Member Brent Rockhold
discussed issues regarding Missouri farmers.

MFA Oil Company, a member of the NEVC, has recently opened forty E85 sites in the state of Missouri. “We are currently pricing the product at twenty percent below regular unleaded,” stated Jerry Taylor, President of MFA Oil. That equates to about fifty cents below regular unleaded.

“We are appreciative of MFA Oil’s dedication to the advancement of E85. Jerry Taylor and the entire Board of Directors of MFA Oil should be recognized for their leadership and support of Missouri made products such as E85,” added Lampert.

Bond emphasized that the U.S. must repeal this established energy policy, “NIMBY” – not in my backyard ­– to create a comprehensive energy policy in the nation’s best interest.

"We are honored to have Senator Bond visit our office for this roundtable discussion on this very important topic,” stated Lampert.

First Public E85 Facility Open in Pennsylvania

The Ohio Biofuels Bill cleared its final hurdle on May 9 before going to the Governor for his signature. The Ohio House of Representatives passed the Ohio Biofuels Bill (HB245) by with a unanimous vote of 95-0.

HB245 allocates one million dollars to increase the number of E85 and biodiesel retail pumps available to the public and for terminal level blending infrastructure. It also requires the state vehicle fleet to use biofuels.

The Biofuels Bill was introduced and championed by Ohio Corn Grower Association (OCGA) member and farmer Representative Steve Reinhard. For good reason, Representative Reinhard was awarded the Ohio Corn and Soybean Associations Legislator of the Year Award in December of 2005 for his efforts.

“This is such a big win for ethanol and biodiesel,” said Mark Drewes, Ohio Corn Growers Association President and Henry County farmer. “With the passage of HB245, fuel retailers should start making plans to switch over to E85.”

OCGA, a member of the NEVC, has worked for nearly two years in a collaborative effort with the Ohio Farm Bureau, Ohio Soybean Association, Ohio Department of Agriculture and Clean Fuels Ohio to pass this bill. The NEVC has also been a supporter of this bill. ”OCGA has placed a high priority on making biofuels more available and HB245 does exactly that,” said Dwayne Siekman, OCGA Executive Director. “The Ohio Biofuels Team we’ve built is a powerful and committed group and I’m so proud of this accomplishment.”

Ramco, Inc. is one of the most recent members of the NEVC. The company, which owns both Minit Mart and Pine Belt Oil Company, feels that E85 is a critical component in satisfying the energy needs of the nation.

Ramco has its roots in two companies founded in Hattiesburg, Mississippi in the early 1960’s. Minit Mart was founded by Mr. Robert Morgan in 1963 as a single, family-owned convenience store. Mr. Allen Morgan, RAMCO’s President, joined Minit Mart in 1979. Under the leadership of the Morgan family, Minit Mart has grown from two stores in 1979 to fourteen stores today.

During those same years, Pine Belt Oil Company, Inc., founded in 1967 by Mr. James Barr, was growing from a single delivery truck operation to a major supplier of fuel to the convenience store owners and operators in the Hattiesburg area. It also became a key supplier of fuel and lubricants to commercial and industrial customers throughout the PineBelt.

In 2001, RAMCO, INC. purchased Pine Belt Oil Company, bringing both companies under the RAMCO, INC. corporate umbrella. RAMCO, INC. currently owns and operates fourteen retail locations under the Minit Mart banner, including a strong restaurant operation with five Subway Restaurants, Pizza Inn, Chuckwagon and other proprietary food service operations. With the addition of bulk-plant operations in Wiggins, Poplarville, Laurel, and Hub City Oil, plus, its lubricant distribution center in Purvis, RAMCO, INC., through its Pine Belt Oil Company division, has grown from the initial bulk-plant in east Hattiesburg to 5 bulk-plant operations providing fuel and lubricants to hundreds of customers in south and central Mississippi.

“As we look to the future of the energy industry," said Dan Ellzey, VP of Operations for Ramco, Inc. said, “we envision an industry in which alternative fuels will play a critical role in providing our nation the energy needed to support continued growth of our economy. We feel that the NEVC organization provides the best opportunity to ‘stay in the loop’ of cutting-edge technological, supply, and legislative information.”

Thank you, Ramco, Inc., for your support and welcome to our organization!

Below is a list of fueling facilities that have installed E85 since issuance of our last NEVC newsletter, May 8, 2006.