Shortage of alt fuels

The group said that because the renewable fuel standard requires 36 billion gallons of renewable fuels in the market by 2022, most Americans would not even be able to take advantage of their cars' new capabilities.

"In other words, 10 years and $20 billion in higher vehicle costs later, most drivers still will not be able to find or use alternative fuel in most of the country," McCurdy said.

E85, the most common form of flex fuel in the United States, can currently be found at an estimated 1,600 filling stations and is not available in five states, according to DOE. The department estimates there are currently less than 8 million flex-fuel vehicles on the nation's roadways.

Supporters of flex-fuel mandates argue that the technology is relatively inexpensive to add to fleet offerings and that an increase in the number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road will create the market incentives necessary to spur growth of alternative fuel production and distribution, helping to break the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

Legislation similar to Engel's has been introduced by a host of bipartisan lawmakers, including Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.), and former Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), who now serves as secretary of the Interior Department.

Despite the flex-fuel mandate, the energy and climate effort has a handful of perks for the ailing industry.

It would double a $25 billion DOE loan program to help carmakers and parts suppliers produce more fuel-efficient cars and trucks, would create a "cash for clunkers" program to pay Americans to scrap their old vehicles and buy new fuel-efficient ones, and would give the industry free allowances -- starting at 3 percent of the allocations, before being slowly phased out -- in exchange for making more advanced cars and trucks, such as all-electric and hybrid vehicles.

Reprinted from Greenwire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500

6 Comments

1. 1. Innov8or 04:12 PM 5/21/09

   Is this to support Corn Ethanol? Corn Ethanol has finally been regarded by most experts as a loosing proposition, it costs more energy to make corn ethanol than you get out of it. Corn Ethanol production creates more pollution. Corn ethanol costs more than gasoline.
   By 2015 50% of new cars sold will be electric, by 2020 the ICE will be dead. Why spend money on a dying technology?

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2. 2. retpro 10:24 PM 5/21/09

   As usual, congress is part of the problem and not part of the solution.

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3. 3. Crush 10:38 AM 5/22/09

   It would support alternative fuels. Yes, you could use corn ethanol, but you could also use cellulosic ethanol, methanol, or, if you'd rather, straight gasoline. For $100 to the cost of a car, the driver suddenly gets some serious fuel options. It's ridiculous that a mandate hasn't already been instituted.

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4. 4. jdhays 12:39 PM 5/22/09

   I helped my mom in buying a car several years ago and I steered her wrong in recomending her to buy the Flex-Fuel version of the car she wanted, a Ford Exporer. Since then she has yet to find a gas station in the Philadelphia area that sells E85, or any station along her route to West Virginia (I-76, I-81, I-64). What good is having the ability to use multiple fuels if you still only have one choice?

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5. 5. Crush 05:46 PM 5/22/09

   It's the chicken/egg argument. There are many in the Midwest, and they are finally starting to expand. A flex fuel mandate would prompt rapid expansion of the infrastructure.

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6. 6. E85Prices in reply to jdhays 06:58 PM 5/22/09

   Hey Crush there is a Station selling E85 in Philadelphia
   
   http://e85prices.com/pennsylvania.html
   
   Also check out the Map http://e85prices.com/e85map.php
   
   
   We have gone from 300 Stations selling E85 in 2004 to 2,122 Stations today...around 1,500 Cities have E85 now.
   
   And you are right chicken and the Egg ..even with the good growth in the number of Stations selling E85 ..with a FFV mandate ($100-$300 vehicle) how cheap is that ..with a FFV mandate then that sends a signal to the retailers to go ahead and install E85 pumps because the cars that are able to run are actually going to start coming in big numbers.
   
   A electric car adds $10-30 thousand to the cost of a car, Hydrogen around 100K ..
   
   So it's peanuts to add FFV capability to every vehicle.
   
   Bottom line $100-$300 and ALL consumers have a REAL CHOICE at the pump.. thats pretty powerful for a couplel hundred bucks.
   
   For most Americans for th past 100 years it has been the Oil companies gasoline or the Oil Companies Gasoline
   
   The taxpayers are bailing out the Auto Industry it's time we get something TANGIBLE back on that investment ..so lets not be whining about a couple hundred bucks
   
   
   
   
   
   

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