WHAT IF THE ANSWER TO OUR DEPENDENCE ON OIL-
-WAS GROWING RIGHT IN FRONT OF US?
WHAT IF WE COULD LOWER GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS-
-WITH A FUEL THAT GREW BACK EVERY YEAR?
WHAT IF A COMPANY HAD ALREADY BUILT- 1.5 MILLION VEHICLES, WHICH COULD RUN ON THIS FUEL?
These vehicles are not future vehicles, the technology does not need to be developed, it already has been, and these vehicles are here in Lynchburg, for sale, now.
Chevrolet this year has a full line-up of vehicles that will run on gasoline, ethanol, or a combination of both. Those vehicles are:
2007 Chevrolet Tahoe with 5.3 liter V8 engine (several in stock now)
2007 Chevrolet Suburban with 5.3 liter V8 engine (coming soon)
2006 Chevrolet Impala with 3.5 liter V6 engine (several in stock now)
2006 Chevrolet Avalanche (available through order process)
2006 Chevrolet Silverado Pick Up (available through order process)
2006 Chevrolet Monte Carlo (available through order process)
FOR MORE NEWS ON THE ETHANOL REVOLUTION, SEE CORNDOG'S DAILY UPDATE HERE! These vehicles are called FLEX-FUEL VEHICLES (FFV), and they are just that, you can put unleaded gasoline in them one week, and ethanol the next, enabling you to adapt to the price of fuel in the marketplace. The engine will adapt to the fuel mix which happens to be in the tank at any given moment. They cost no more to purchase than non-flex-fuel vehicles, and the engines happen to be our most popular ones for each model. They will run just as well as Chevy engines always have on gasoline, until ethanol is available, which may be sooner than anyone thinks.
Ethanol has been produced from feedstock and corn in this country for over 100 years. It has just in recent years become viable as a liquid fuel for our vehicles because of the precipitous rise in the cost of a barrel of crude, and significant innovations that have made its production cheaper.
The optimum mix for ethanol and gasoline for FFV’s has been found to be 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline, now commonly called E85. Since demand for E85 has been virtually non-existent up until recently, there are very few places in the country one can buy it, but the number of retailers selling it is growing rapidly. Virginia has five at this time, three in the DC area and two in the Hampton-Virginia Beach area. There is not one retailer in the Lynchburg area selling E85 ethanol for these vehicles at this time.
With this knowledge, if you were still inclined to consider a flex-fuel vehicle, you must also be apprised of the fact that AT THIS TIME it may cost you a little more to run your vehicle on E85, because this particular fuel mix will deliver only about 80% of the fuel economy of straight gasoline, though it is selling in North and South Carolina for about 5 cents less per gallon than regular unleaded. In the recent run-up of gas to the $3 per gallon level, E85 was selling for about 35 cents per gallon less than gasoline. So, you could conceivably buy it a little cheaper but would have to fill up your tank about 20% more often. You would be able to comfort yourself, however in the knowledge that by paying a little more, of every gallon of fuel you burned, 85% will have come from Midwestern corn, instead of Middle Eastern oil.
General Motors has been producing flex-fuel vehicles since the year 2000; initially the vehicles were sold on an experimental basis to fleet customers and political subdivisions, here in America. The South American country of Brazil passed a series of laws in 1999, which mandated that all vehicles sold new there by 2003 had to be flex-fuel capable. GM has produced tens of thousands for the Brazilian market, whose government announced recently that they NO LONGER IMPORT OIL.
Now that we have given you the downsides, please allow me to tell you why you should consider an FFV for your next purchase.
1-There is no downside from a performance or durability standpoint, and the additional cost for GM to enable an engine to burn ethanol is estimated at around $200.
2-AVAILABILITY OF E85 WILL INCREASE, and you can drive your FFV quite nicely on gasoline until it does become more readily available in this area. You could also stop on your way through North Carolina and South Carolina and run a few tanks of E85, just to see how it feels. It looks to most observers that demand for E85 will increase dramatically over the next few years, so that most areas of the country will soon have it available. Gasoline will be sold at whatever price the volatile world market dictates, and that, as we all know, gives us no comfort whatsoever. Ethanol, on the other hand, is not subject to such volatility and should remain fairly constant in price, even if demand rises significantly, because advances in its production are accelerating on a consistent basis. REMEMBER, YOU AS THE OWNER OF A FLEX-FUEL VEHICLE WILL BE FREE TO BUY EITHER ONE, WHICHEVER FITS YOUR WALLET AT THE TIME. You will find an interesting article on ethanol
here.
3-THE ENVIRONMENT. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline. Its combustion emits far less greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. In addition, the increased use of corn and other agricultural feedstocks to produce ethanol will take as much CO2 out of the atmosphere as its combustion emits. Ethanol is both water-soluble and biodegradable. If the Exxon Valdez had been transporting ethanol instead of gasoline, then the damage to marine life and the environment would have been minimal in comparison.
4-DEMAND for ethanol is what is needed to kick-start the production and supply infrastructure. The cost for a retailer to adapt current dispensers and underground tanks will not be an obstacle if demand begins to grow. In Iowa, South Dakota, North and South Carolina, many retailers simply converted assets formerly dedicated to under-performing fuels such as kerosene or diesel, when the demand for ethanol began to exceed them. History tells us that when there is demand for a commodity, the profit motive can be counted upon to make it available.
5-If every vehicle in America were FFV capable, then our DEPENDENCE ON FOREIGN OIL could be effectively eliminated. This outcome is probably a pipe dream for the near future, but putting downward pressure on the price of gasoline is not a dream, it could become reality as soon as FFVs begin to proliferate in quantity.
Make no mistake, this has been written as an advertisement to sell cars and trucks; that’s what we do. We believe however, everything said here to be true, and is a correct assessment of the energy situation our country faces at this point in time. It also represents our attempt to help do something about it.
In addition, publicity for American car manufacturers has not been good lately, and we wanted you to know foreign manufacturers do not have a monopoly on green vehicles. We at Royal believe that ethanol and other bio-fuels represent a much more beneficial solution to our country’s energy problems than hybrid technology, because bio-fuel technology enables the consumer to drive the vehicles America historically favors, and FLEX-FUEL VEHICLES have the ability to REPLACE our dependence on foreign oil, instead of just REDUCING it. What's more, this technology won’t cost you thousands more to acquire, and is kinder to the environment.
FOR MORE NEWS ON THE ETHANOL REVOLUTION, SEE CORNDOG'S DAILY UPDATE HERE! Why haven't you heard about it before?
The recent run-up in crude prices from $35 to $60, coupled with technological advances in its production, have combined to rather suddenly make ethanol economically viable. There are currently 91 plants in the US producing ethanol, with a staggering 31 being constructed at this time. The MARKET seems to think that ethanol is coming to a retailer near you. Here's
another interesting article on the topic from TECHNOLOGY REVIEW.
General Motors has more flex-fuel vehicles to select from than any other manufacturer, and they are here for you to see and test drive today. We believe General Motors and America’s farmers and engineers have the BEST answer for America’s energy and environmental future. If you have questions, or would like to test drive a new flex-fuel vehicle, please call or just stop by.
Check out Robert Zubrin's great article in the current
American Enterprise Magazine here. Another blogger chimes in
with his take here.FOR MORE NEWS ON THE ETHANOL REVOLUTION, SEE CORNDOG'S DAILY UPDATE HERE!
Here's Thorne McCraw, owner of McCraw Furniture Company on Main Street in Lynchburg. He's standing beside his brand-new 2006 FLEX-FUEL Chevrolet Silverado. Thorne says he's hoping somebody around Lynchburg will soon have E85 available, he's ready to try it out. He told us that the new Silverado is getting better gas mileage than the smaller truck it replaces! McCraw's carries the area's finest selection of new and used furniture, and has become the city's favorite destination for lamp repair and shades.
