May 11, 2006
GENERAL MOTORS ANNOUNCES COLLABORATION WITH STATE OF INDIANA AND MEIJER
GAS STATIONS TO HELP MORE INDIANA MOTORISTS POWER THEIR GM FLEXFUEL VEHICLES
WITH E85 ETHANOL
INDIANAPOLIS – General Motors today announced that
it has facilitated plans for the addition of several new E85 ethanol fueling
sites throughout Indiana thanks to a collaborative partnership with Meijer
and the state of Indiana. GM has been the catalyst behind several similar
partnerships across the country as part of a broader, national GM campaign
to boost the use and awareness of ethanol-based E85 fuel in the United States.
The announcement was made today during a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening
of an E85 ethanol pump at the Meijer Pike Plaza 129 store. Governor Mitch
Daniels and Lt. Governor Becky Skillman were on hand for the event along with
U.S. Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman.
“Flexible fuel vehicles and E85 are proven options for substituting
a clean burning renewable fuel for gasoline, and I believe it should be our
common goal that E85 become a nationwide fueling option,” Secretary Bodman
said. “I want to thank Governor Daniels, Lt. Governor Skillman,
GM and Meijer for their commitment to this goal. Efforts like these—to
educate the public and expand the network of stations that can deliver E85
fuel—will help us meet the President’s goal to reduce our reliance
on foreign sources of oil.”
“Indiana is rapidly emerging as a producer of renewable fuels. That
must be matched by greater availability and convenience for consumers,” said
Gov. Daniels. “The commitment by GM and Meijer is a big leap forward
on the demand side, and we’re hopeful others will follow suit.”
GM and Meijer will work together to identify up to twenty locations throughout
the state over the next few months, with the first location, at the Pike Plaza
129 store, open for consumers today. General Motors will spend significant
advertising and promotion dollars to help generate awareness of E85 flexible
fuel vehicles—and where consumers can purchase E85 ethanol—with
consumer marketing initiatives and dealer outreach.
“GM already has nearly two million vehicles on the road today that are
capable of using E85 ethanol fuel. We appreciate that Meijer continues
to join our efforts to make this great fuel alternative available to more people
in Indiana,” said Elizabeth Lowery, GM vice president of environment
and energy. “We also appreciate the support of Sec. Bodman, Gov.
Daniels, Lt. Gov. Skillman and the State of Indiana as we continue to promote
the use of E85 ethanol and its many benefits for the environment, the economy
and consumers.”
The effort is similar to announcements GM has already made with other state
government, oil industry, ethanol producers, and retail partners in California,
Illinois, Michigan, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas. Since May of 2005, GM
has announced partnerships with states and fuel providers around the country
to locate, to date, up to 130 new E85 ethanol fueling locations by the end
of 2006.
Corn is the leading source of income for Indiana farmers contributing $1.45
billion annually. Indiana produces 786.9 million bushels of corn a year,
providing a basis for millions of gallons of ethanol to be produced in the
future. There are currently nearly 70,000 GM flexible fuel vehicles in
Indiana, with a total of 90,000 flexible vehicles in the state.
“Agriculture will be a chief economic driver in Indiana and we are very
serious about turning this state into a national leader in the production of
biofuels,” said Lt. Gov. Skillman. “Today’s announcement
is another important step in expanding the availability of E85 ethanol so more
Hoosiers can have access to this important renewable fuel.”
Meijer continues to develop partnerships to promote alternative fuels. “We
are thrilled to partner with GM and the state of Indiana to promote the availability
of E85 ethanol and provide our customers with choices such as E85 ethanol that
will enhance the environment and provide greater independence from foreign
fuels,” said Judith Clark, communications director for Meijer.
E85 flexible fuel vehicles can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85
ethanol, a fuel blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 ethanol
can contribute to energy independence because it diversifies the source of
transportation fuels beyond petroleum, and it provides positive environmental
benefits in the form of reduced greenhouse gas emissions.
Phil Lampert, executive director of the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition
(NEVC) was also on hand for the announcement. “The NEVC is pleased
to see the number of E85 fueling sites continue to grow across the country,” said
Lampert. “GM, the state of Indiana and Meijer are true leaders
in advancing domestically produced alternative transportation fuels.”
GM has a long relationship with the state of Indiana. Indianapolis is
the base of GM’s Allison Division and the state is home to over 10,000
GM employees and 40,000 GM retirees, as well as five plants and over 200 dealers. GM
builds E85 capable trucks, as well as the only full-size hybrid pickup in America,
at its assembly plant in Fort Wayne.
GM also partnered with the Indiana State Department of Agriculture last November
to provide twenty E85-capable vehicles to residents of Reynolds, Ind. to use
for two years. Reynolds, the first BioTown, USA, is developing a community
that meets all of its energy needs through biorenewable resources. Phase
1 of the BioTown, USA plan for Reynolds revolved around making Reynolds the
highest per capita usage city of flexible fuel vehicles in the United States.
In May, 2005, GM presented Lt. Governor Skillman with a one-year loan of an
E85-capable Chevy Tahoe to help promote E85 in the state as part of an ongoing
campaign by GM and the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC), a bipartisan
group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol. This
collaborative effort, which was launched in early 2005, is designed to increase
awareness of ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, and to promote the increased
use of E85 as a renewable, alternative transportation fuel that is able to
meet the demands of today’s drivers. Last year, GM loaned E85 flex-fuel
vehicles to Indianapolis and 27 other states and organizations in order to
demonstrate its commitment to ethanol, educate the public and promote the benefits
of using E85. GM will continue the program through 2006 and will present
the state of Indiana with a new E85 flexible fuel vehicle later this month.
Research has shown that many owners of flex-fuel vehicles do not know that
their vehicles are capable of using E85. In January, GM announced a sweeping
consumer education and advertising campaign aimed at promoting the benefits
of E85 and GM’s flexible fuel vehicle leadership, and encouraging consumers
to actively promote E85 in their communities. “Live Green Go Yellow” ads
continue throughout the year with print, web (livegreengoyellow.com) and broadcast
media components.
With two million flexible-fuel vehicles already on the road, GM is a leader
in flexible-fuel vehicle production and sales. For the 2006 model year, GM
offers nine E85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC
Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet
Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. GM also plans
to add more than 400,000 E85-capable vehicles to the fleet in 2006. At the
same time, worldwide production of ethanol is increasing every year, and is
expected to triple by 2020.
About GM:
General Motors Corp. (NYSE: GM), the world’s largest automaker, has been
the global industry sales leader for 75 years. Founded in 1908, GM today employs
about 327,000 people around the world. With global headquarters in Detroit,
GM manufactures its cars and trucks in 33 countries. In 2005, 9.17 million
GM cars and trucks were sold globally under the following brands: Buick,
Cadillac, Chevrolet, GMC, GM Daewoo, Holden, HUMMER, Opel, Pontiac, Saab, Saturn
and Vauxhall. More information on GM can be found at www.gm.com.
About Meijer, Inc.:
Based in Walker, Mich., Meijer is a family-owned and operated company operating
supercenters throughout the Midwest. Meijer operates more than 170
stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois and Kentucky. For more information,
visit www.meijer.com
