National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition - FYI Newsletter, Volume 7, Issue 11, June 17, 2002
As the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition reported in a press release on May 15, 2002, DaimlerChrysler recently announced the addition of a 2003 E85 Sebring and 2003 Stratus. We are now very pleased to announce that Ford Motor Company is bringing E85 compatibility to the best selling line of Sport Utility Vehicles, the Explorer. Introduced as a mid-2002 model, the E85 compatible Ford Explorer can now be bought off your local dealership lot! The 2002 4.0L 4-door Explorer now comes standard as an E85 FFV with no incremental cost and is fifty state certified as a Low Emission Vehicle.
“We are thrilled with the launching of this new E85 product as it is something we’ve have worked on for quite awhile,” said Michelle Christie, Ford SUV Fleet Brand Manager. “We’ve had many orders before Job One, what we call our initial production of a new vehicle line,” said Christie.
The FFV Explorers went into production May 20, 2002 filling many orders, a large number of these orders having already been placed by government fleets. The public is also responding well to the new FFV SUV.
Along with the 4.0L Explorer, Ford Motor Company will also be offering the 3.0L Taurus Sedan and Wagon, and the 3.0L Ranger Supercab pickup as E85 FFVs in Model Year 2003.
Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC, indicated that “with the new 2003 DaimlerChrysler products, the large volume of vehicles being produced by General Motors, and the addition of this volume leader from Ford, it is very possible that more than two million new E85 vehicles will be sold during model year 2003. This number compares to the approximately 50,000 other forms of alternative fuel vehicles combined. Our obstacle continues to be fueling infrastructure, however, we are more and more optimistic that a major transportation fuel marketer will recognize the opportunity becoming available to sell alternative fuels and enter this exciting new marketplace. Meanwhile, the NEVC will continue to form coalitions and work with independent fuel providers to establish public E85 fueling sites.”
The NEVC receives numerous inquires about converting a vehicle to run on E85. Can a vehicle be converted to run on E85? Unfortunately, there is no easy answer. Yes, it is possible, but such modifications are likely a violation of federal regulations. At this time, there are no aftermarket conversion kits that meet the EPA standards.
In the 1980’s and early 1990’s, many companies were formed for the purpose of converting a gasoline-powered vehicle to run on alternative fuels (ethanol, propane, methanol, and compressed natural gas). At the time, the marketing around the conversions was that it was cheaper to run vehicles on the alternative fuels than gasoline. However, the EPA concluded that these original gasoline-powered vehicles that were converted and powered by alternative fuels were, in many cases, actually emitting more pollutants than when they were when running on gasoline
Through an internal process, the EPA established Memo 1A that required converted alternative fuel powered vehicles have as clean or cleaner exhaust emissions than when they were in their original gasoline powered state. The certification process of conversion kits documenting that exhaust emissions are as clean as the original equipment vehicle is expensive and time consuming. While there has been no known effort to develop an “aftermarket E85 conversion”, a number of conversion kits are available to repower a vehicle to operate on CNG or LPG. Fortunately, the domestic automakers are producing E85 vehicles at no incremental cost over the gasoline only vehicles and conversion kits are essentially unnecessary.
If you would like to read more about E85 vehicle conversions, go to http://www.e85fuel.com/information/conversion.htm.
On May 14, 2002, the Red River Valley Clean Cities Coalition (RRVCC) was awarded a “2002 Movers and Shakers Award” for the “Greatest Percentage Increase in AFVs.” The RRVCC received the award from the U.S. Department of Energy Clean Cities Program at the 2002 Clean Cities Conference in Oklahoma City.
DOE formally designated the coalition in 1998 after being established in 1996 by the University of North Dakota’s Energy and Environmental Research Center. Tim Gerlach, who is now the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coordinator, served as coordinator until 1999. He was replaced by Dan Daly.
To obtain the honor last month, the RRVCC worked with the NEVC who supplied the code to the 17-digit vehicle identification number found on all motor vehicles. The NEVC provided the proper sequence and digits to allow the RRVCC to query the North Dakota motor vehicle database and identify the flexible fuel vehicles registered in the state. A database search was performed by agencies and groups in areas such as south central Manitoba, eastern North Dakota, and northwestern Minnesota including the cities of Winnipeg Manitoba, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota. The search indicated that about 2,500 E85 vehicles were located in the RRVCC region and nearly 300 additional alternative fuel vehicles were fleet vehicles.
“We were honored to be recognized by DOE Clean Cities for our AFV inventory activities,” said Coordinator Dan Daly. “We want to say thank you to groups like NEVC, the North Dakota Department of Transportation Motor Vehicle Division, Manitoba Transportation and Government Services Vehicle Registration Division, and Manitoba Public Insurance, as well as local fleet operators, for taking the time to provide the information that allowed us to get a better handle on the RRVCC region’s population.”
The information that was obtained by the research will be used to educate consumers in the region, to create promotions and to supply more infrastructure.
“Over the past year, we have been focused on building an RRVCC Chapter in the Winnipeg, Manitoba area,” commented Daly. “Now this national-level recognition from Clean Cities is helping us to attract new members and build a stronger coalition across the board.”
RRVCC members will get a chance to view the award at RRVCC’s quarterly meeting being held on June 26 at the EERC in Grand Forks, North Dakota. For more information, contact Dan Daly at (701) 777-2822 or at ddaly@undeerc.org.
The NEVC is constructing a new look to our existing website which we hope will catch everyone’s eye! The new site will contain a revised front page and a new membership page. Membership information consisting of membership incentives, membership categories, and membership fees, all of which were approved by the NEVC board earlier this year, will also be located on the site. Membership to the NEVC will allow viewing of all NEVC website pages. The reverse, in turn, will not allow non-members to view certain pages on the site. This will in-fact help the NEVC grow as an organization! For any questions about membership, contact Randa Barker at (573) 635-8445 or at info@e85.com.
The Missouri Energy Center along with NEVC and the Missouri Soybean Association hosted alternative fuel displays at selected Jefferson City, Missouri state agency locations to encourage state employees to use alternative fuels. The events took place on June 4, 5, 6 and 11. Three more educational display dates are yet to come.
 MO Energy Planner John Buchanan (left) and MO Energy Center Project Coordinator David Harrison (right) answered questions at the alternative fuel booth at the MO Department of Agriculture building on June 11, 2002. |
State of Missouri vehicle operators must be aware of their required use of alternative fuels and the locations of fueling sites prior to expecting employees to use the fuel! The goal of using the fuels is being reached by projects such as this. State employees need to be educated on what type of fuel may be used in their vehicle and where they may purchase it. There are two E85 refueling stations in the Jefferson City area: Conoco at 3714 West Truman Boulevard and Conoco at 701 Eastland Drive.
“We had a great turnout,” said Missouri’s Energy Specialist Cindy Carroll. “We had over 200 stop by the booths!”
The NEVC donated T-shirts and hats to raffle at the events. “We are in full support of these projects,” said Phil Lampert, Executive Director for the NEVC. “These are wonderful opportunities to inform our state fleets about E85 “It’s easy to complain that state and federal vehicle operators don’t use alternative fuels, but how can we expect them to do so when we haven’t taken the time to educate them on the benefits of alternative fuels. As a lifelong resident of Missouri, I can attest to the fact that I have never seen an oil well in the state, but there is sure a lot of corn. Educating state employees that E85 vehicles are available, that fueling sites exist, and that the use of such fuel provides significant benefits to the state is a top priority of the NEVC. We would ask that other states in any part of the nation use the Missouri event as an example and initiate their own driver education program.”
Missouri Governor Bob Holden also stopped by the event. Governor Holden currently serves as the Chairman of the 27 member Governors’ Ethanol Coalition. Anita Randolph, the Governor’s representative to the GEC also serves on the NEVC Board of Directors.
“It was such a surprise,” exclaimed Carroll! “He picked up some E85 brochures, waved and said ‘keep on with those alternative fuels’. ”
In late May of 2002, the NEVC submitted a grant application to the U.S. Department of Energy seeking $1.2 million from the Broad Area Announcement funds. This is part of the $2 million that the NEVC was successful in having appropriated during the last session of Congress. Funding requests were included for E85 infrastructure, marketing and promotion, web site advancement, development of an E85 owners’ registry, etc.
As was the case in our efforts to secure the funds from the Congress, the NEVC assisted with putting together a broad coalition to seek the funds from the DOE. The groups that worked with the NEVC in the infrastructure development phase of the project each submitted a letter of support for the NEVC application and included: Cleveland Clean Cities Program, Hampton Roads VA Clean Cities Program, Central Ohio Clean Cities (Columbus) Program, Omaha Clean Cities Program, Vermont Clean Cities Program, Twin Cities (Minnesota) Clean Cities Program, Kansas City Clean Cities Program, St. Louis Clean Cities Program, Middle Tennessee Clean Cities Program, Eastern Tennessee Clean Cities Program, South Carolina Clean Cities, North Carolina (Durham) Clean Cities, Atlanta Clean Cities Program, and Salt Lake Clean Cities.
Additional letters of support for the NEVC project were provided by: CFDC-Clean Fuels Development Coalition, EPAC-Ethanol Producers and Consumers, ACE-American Coalition for Ethanol, and GEC-Governors' Ethanol Coalition
With this project submission, the NEVC has continued to develop and expand our broad range of E85 supporters and advocates. The NEVC thanks all its supporters for their efforts. The award announcement for the $1.2 million is expected mid fall of 2002.
June 25-28, 2002
18th Annual International Fuel Ethanol Workshop and Trade Show at the Crowne Plaza Springfield in Springfield, Illinois. For more information and to register, go to http://www.bbiethanol.com/few.
July 17, 2002
Governors’ Ethanol Coalition meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. For more information, visit http://www.ethanol-gec.org.
July 17-19, 2002
The American Coalition for Ethanol's 15th Annual Meeting and Ethanol Conference at the Holiday Inn in Omaha, Nebraska. For more information, visit http://www.ethanol.org.
July 23-25, 2002
FedFleet 2002 at the Kansas City Convention Center in Kansas City, Missouri. For more information, visit http://www.fedfleet.org.
August 10-13, 2002
2002 Convention and Trade Show sponsored by the Colorado Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Assn. and the Wyoming Petroleum Marketers & Convenience Store Assn. at the Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, WY. For more information, contact Christi Krenke at (303) 422-7805 or at ckrenke@cwpma.org.
October 6-8, 2002
National Association of Convenience Stores Show at the Orlando County Convention Center in Orlando, FL. For more information, visit http://www.cstorecentral.com/nacsshow/2002info.asp
October 22-26, 2002
2002 National Conference of State Fleet Administrators in Mystic, CT. For more information, contact (623) 772-9096.
Please feel free to e-mail your story suggestions to us at info@e85fuel.com or call us anytime.
Phillip J. Lampert, Executive Director
Michelle Saab, Director of Communications
Randa Barker, Director of Administration