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The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) Center for Alternative Fuels along with the NEVC, has recently introduced an E85 promotion in the state of Wisconsin to promote the use of the clean-burning alternative fuel. Seventy-five radio networks, primarily talk and adult contemporary, will air E85 ads similar to the MP3 heard here. The campaign will also involve sending a packet to the General Motors, DaimlerChrysler and Ford dealers in close proximity to Wisconsin’s thirteen E85 fueling sites. These packets will include educational information about E85, a listing of FFVs and E85 fueling locations, and a $5 off E85 coupon. In addition, the University of Wisconsin will send the coupons to FFV owners within three miles of the E85 stations. Coupons will be valid through the beginning of next year. “This was the next logical step to encourage the use of the fuel,” said Kim Kujoth of UWM. “We are impressed by the University of Wisconsin’s efforts to advance the fuel in this way,” claimed Phil Lampert, Executive Director of the NEVC. “We hope other universities join UWM to further the advancement of renewable fuels.” To listen to the Wisconsin radio add, click here. For a listing of E85 locations in Wisconsin, visit http://www.e85fuel.com.


Minnesota and E85

New Station The Holiday Stationstore in Lakeville, Minnesota is now carrying the renewable, alternative fuel – E85. The location joins over 80 E85 stations now in the state. Besides E85, the station carries three grades of low-sulfur, low-benzene "Blue Planet" gasoline. The location’s amenities include 24-hour access, an ATM, pay-at-the pump option, and the selling of Krispy Kreme doughnuts and a full service deli. Events for FFV Drivers in Minnesota December 11 and December 12 - Nu Way Cooperative Cenex of Trimont AND Nu Way Cooperative Cenex of Butterfield: $0.85/gallon E85 and free popcorn and hotdogs. Sponsors included Nu Way Cooperative, Jose Motors, Fairmont Ford, Watonwan County Corn and Soybean Growers, Martin County Corn and Soybean Growers and the Minnesota E85 project. December 16 - AMPI Ag Services Cenex of Glencoe: $0.85/gallon E85 and other specials. The E85 Commute? - By Jonathan Eisenthal, special correspondent An estimated 100,000 cars in Minnesota can run on E85, but how many of them can really use this clean-burning renewable fuel made from corn every day - getting to work and back home, making those frequent trips between the farm and town, or covering a wide region for a sales job? The answer is that more and more Minnesotans can do this with each passing month. A station in Glencoe, AMPI Pride, will become the 90th currently operating E85 fueling site in Minnesota - an astonishing benchmark considering that the first station to offer E85 in Minnesota began pumping the fuel in 1997. By 1999, fourteen stations - almost exclusively in the Twin Cities, offered E85 to the driving public. "We seem to have settled into a rate of adding about a dozen to 15 stations a year," noted Tim Gerlach, Director of Outdoor Air programs for the American Lung Association of Minnesota (ALAMN). Motor vehicles are the number one source of air pollution in Minnesota, according to ALAMN, so promoting the use of renewable fuels is of primary importance for Gerlach. More cars running on E85 means reductions in volumes of fine particulates, ozone, greenhouse gases and other chemicals that affect the breathability of the air. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) studies have shown that high-blend ethanol fuels can reduce harmful exhaust emissions by more than 50 percent and smog-forming pollution by 15% or more, according to ALAMN. The Minnesota driving public has begun to respond to E85, doubling the consumption of the fuel each year, to a current level of around two million gallons a year. Distribution of fueling sites in Minnesota has steadily spread as well. Starting from a couple stations in the Twin Cities, the E85 fueling infrastructure now offers motorists more than 25 stations each in both the southern tier and central tiers of Minnesota counties, another 26 in the Twin Cities area and nearly a dozen in the northern reaches of Minnesota, including stations in Moorhead, International Falls, Hinckley and Duluth. So, for many motorists with the desire to run a vehicle entirely on E85, that option is finally feasible. "Back a few years ago, I filled up my vehicle between two sites in the Twin Cities, so I've felt that commuting on E85 is feasible for a long time," said Gerlach. "But every new site helps make it easier for drivers to choose E85 every time." The growing number of vehicle models offering flexible fuel engines has also made the E85 option more practical. Ford Taurus wagons and sedans, and Explorer SUVs; Dodge Ram 1500 trucks and Caravan minivans; GM Suburbans, Tahoes and Yukons, as well as Sierra and Silverado trucks; Mercedes C-class coupes, sedans and wagons, and Mercury Mountaineer SUVs are among the current year models available with flexible fuel engines. The Minnesota E85 Team, of which the Minnesota Corn Growers Association is a member, together with AMPI in Glencoe held a promotional event on December 16, in which motorists filled up with E85 for 85 cents a gallon. More information about Minnesota E85 fueling stations and flexible fuel vehicles is available at the ALAMN website at http://www.alamn.org/outdoor/.

No E85 in Indiana

This email was written to NEVC Executive Director, Phil Lampert: