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 General Motors Corporation, one of the top three automotive manufacturers in North America, has recently announced plans that will easily distinguish their E85 compatible vehicles from their regular gasoline powered vehicles. GM will replace their original gas cap with one that is yellow in about 400,000 of their new flexible-fuel vehicles (FFV).
“We applaud General Motors’ continued commitment to bring more awareness to their flexible-fuel vehicle line,” said Curtis Donaldson, Chairman of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. “GM has made this a very important and large step to further consumer education.”
At this time, there is no universal labeling that is used for the almost 5 million FFVs on American roads. It is difficult to determine a vehicle’s compatibility with E85. GM’s new fuel cap will alert a driver if their vehicle is compatible.
GM is also considering a large marketing strategy that will help promote FFVs and E85. These plans include placing educational newspaper ads and distributing mailings to flexible-fuel vehicle owners informing them of their vehicle’s fuel capability and their closest E85 fueling site. There are now about 480 public E85 fueling sites in the U.S.
There are currently about 1.5 million GM model flexible-fuel vehicles. Their model year 2006 line up will include the 3.5 liter Impala and Monte Carlo; and the 5.3 liter Avalanche, Tahoe, Silverado, Sierra, Suburban, Tahoe, Yukon and Yukon XLs.
A complete listing of all E85 compatible vehicles and fueling locations can be found at www.E85Fuel.com.
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