Last year, GM presented Gov. Taft 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. GM is continuing the program through 2006 and today presented the Ohio Corn Growers Association with a new E85 flexible fuel vehicle to continue its promotion of ethanol and E85-capable vehicles.
Accepting the E85-capable Chevrolet Tahoe on behalf of the Ohio Corn Growers Association, Dwayne Siekman said, "We appreciate GM's support of cleaner-burning alternative fuels like ethanol and its promotion of E85, which helps reduce tailpipe and greenhouse gas emissions, while supporting the economy and increasing our nation's energy independence."
Ohio Governor Bob Taft and...
Ohio Governor Bob Taft and GM's e85 Chevy Tahoe.
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. Today, ethanol is primarily made from corn.
Corn is one of the top crops of Ohio's $73 billion a year agriculture industry and five ethanol plants are currently being planned for the state, with three breaking ground now. Once completed, the five plants are expected to collectively produce up to 270 million gallons of ethanol each year, requiring 100 million bushels of corn each year.
GM currently employs over 19,000 Ohio residents and operates ten plants in the state. There are over 100,000 GM flexible-fuel vehicles in Ohio, with two million on the road across the country.
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.