NDRC driving nationwide in an Impala, touting efficiency, use of Ethanol-based fuel

[Ming]

Group touts cars' efficiency, use of ethanol-based fuels
Monday, August 7, 2006
www.vindy.com



YOUNGSTOWN — The Natural Resources Defense Council is driving across the country in two new vehicles to promote their "Move America Beyond Oil Campaign."

Deron Lovaas, vehicles campaign director, said that the 2006 Chevrolet Impala and 2006 Ford Escape both get about 30 miles per gallon (when running on gasoline). The Impala runs on 85% Ethanol fuel (as well as straight gasoline), and the Escape is a hybrid, having both gasoline and electric motors (with the capability of running on E85), he added.

The Escape's battery will recharge itself every time the brake is applied, he said. But if the battery dies, it would cost more than $2,000 to replace.

This ethanol gasoline mixture is made up of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Both cars can also run on regular gasoline, which is helpful because less than one percent of gas stations offer the ethanol gasoline.

Because of ethanol gasoline's limited availability, Lovaas and co-workers are driving through the country to get the word out. They said they believe that once people know about this, it's use will become more widespread.

"Our mission is to move America beyond oil," Lovaas said. "The advantage is that these cars will not only get us off oil, but they're cleaner vehicles. It's a win-win situation."

Lovaas said that there is enough green area that can be used to grow the plants from which ethanol is made, as long as they widen their sources (switchgrass, etc.). He added that if they could get more yields per acre, it would reduce the cost of ethanol and not create a shortage of food crops.

Source: http://www.vindy.com/content/local_r...5890505754.php

[b4z]

The most important part of this story will be what their mileage
will be for the tour.

[frey51]

and yet I could get 29-31mpg on a good day of highway travel when my 02 Z28 was stock. Honestly, 30mpg isnt that impressive...the ls2 corvette can get close to that.

[Aromanances]

I would like to see the 2.4l hybrid set up out of the Saturn View in the Impala, That would get some good milage #'s and give GM something to go up against the Toyoty Cam-ery.

[HoosierRon]

I'll gladly burn Indiana corn at the rate of 20 mpg rather than Arab oil at 30 mpg. And with BP taking off line 400,000 barrels per day in Alaska, the relative price of E85 has just dropped substantially.

[jwrebholz]

Corn is a relatively poor producer of ethanol. THere are other things that do better--soybeans, agricultural waste, etc will produce more alcohol than just corn. On another note, the Impala is the perfect car for this sort of thing. It's born to cruise on the highway. So at least these folks will be comfy.

[1999 White C5 Coupe]

The article does not state the reduced fuel mileage using E-85 fuel.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by 1999 White C5 Coupe

The article does not state the reduced fuel mileage using E-85 fuel.

Nor do they state the reduced cost per gallon at the pump!

Historically E85 has been cheaper (cheap enough to offset the fuel economy drop - and sometimes more than that), and it looks to be returning from its recent price spike related to replacing MTBE.

http://www.emergencemarketing.com/im...019%202005.JPG

[chevydlrmn]

Originally Posted by Ming

Nor do they state the reduced cost per gallon at the pump!

Historically E85 has been cheaper (cheap enough to offset the fuel economy drop - and sometimes more than that), and it looks to be returning from its recent price spike related to replacing MTBE.

http://www.emergencemarketing.com/im...019%202005.JPG

This Super America is one of the closest E85 stations to my dealership. This pic is obviously really old (look at the price of gas) they currently are very close in price to gas. The other E85 station is a Holiday that is over 55 cents less than gas. I ran a 2007 Tahoe on E85 all weekend and even the additional power is very nice. Not sure what I averaged for mpg's though.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by frey51

and yet I could get 29-31mpg on a good day of highway travel when my 02 Z28 was stock. Honestly, 30mpg isnt that impressive...the ls2 corvette can get close to that.

You can't really compare a mid-sized sedan with umpteen airbags and 5-star crash test rating with seating for up to 6-people (with the bench configuration) to an aerodynamic sportscar running on the freeway...with the driver resisting the urge to floor it when that BMW pulls up alongside...

Consider the Suzuki Forenza has a 128 hp 4-cylinder and gets worse fuel economy than the 211hp V6 in the heavier, larger Impala.

[tgagneguam]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

I'll gladly burn Indiana corn at the rate of 20 mpg rather than Arab oil at 30 mpg. And with BP taking off line 400,000 barrels per day in Alaska, the relative price of E85 has just dropped substantially.

You beat me to it, HoosierRon. And I'm pretty certain that Indiana (or any other US-based place that may serve as the source of whatever alternative fuel we hopefully use in the not-too-distant future) has much more civil intentions for the US than the Middle East and other OPEC regions do.

[TuffG929]

Finally somebody who is not on GM payroll takes notice of the "other" green vehicles.

[racy]

Originally Posted by HoosierRon

I'll gladly burn Indiana corn at the rate of 20 mpg rather than Arab oil at 30 mpg.

Me too !!

[01cavalier]

Originally Posted by jwrebholz

Corn is a relatively poor producer of ethanol. THere are other things that do better--soybeans, agricultural waste, etc will produce more alcohol than just corn. On another note, the Impala is the perfect car for this sort of thing. It's born to cruise on the highway. So at least these folks will be comfy.

Corn may be a poor product to make it from, but one thing is there is way more corn than we will ever need in this country. So using it makes perfect sense.

I also would rather burn US made E85 than gas, even if it is quite noticeably drops my gas mileage.

[69Firebird400]

Originally Posted by 1999 White C5 Coupe

The article does not state the reduced fuel mileage using E-85 fuel.

My dad told me on the phone tonight that his E85-capable 2007 Suburban had something in the glove compartment telling owners that if you fill the tank with E85, you can expect to go about 300 miles, but with gasoline, expect to go 450+ miles.

Good to see that they're being honest about that and managing expectations from the get-go for customers. I seem to remember some survey really showing Hummer H2s scoring poorly, and the cause turned out to be their "unexpectedly" poor fuel economy. Duhh! I have driven one of those once, and it was almost comical how big and wide it was.