Flex Fuel

Automakers and fans of alternative fuel vehicles have been waiting for years for consumers to start rolling off dealer lots driving green cars. It is slowly starting to happen, with the number of vehicles that don't run exclusively on standard gasoline nearly doubling from 534,000 on US roads in 2003 to almost 940,000 in 2010, according to US Energy Information Administration. The numbers have only risen since then, and Jon LeSage

The current and past presidents of Iowa Renewable Fuels Association were able to chat with Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney on Tuesday, asking for his endorsement of the Renewable Fuels Standard (RFS) and ethanol. IRFA president Brad Albin and past president Walt Wendland approached Romney and put him on the spot while an associate filmed (watch it Jon LeSage

The Brazilian Hyundai subsidiary has launched a Brazil-only flex-fuel model called the HB20. It will be manufactured at its new plant in Piracicaba, Brazil, which starts production September 20 ahead of an early October sales launch.

For anyone who wants to drive from Paris to Budapest without that pesky problem of filling-up, Opel has got the car for you.

Quick, which is easier to find: a public charging station for an electric vehicle or a station that offers E85? Despite the much larger number of flex-fuel vehicles on the road, it turns out that when you bring the fight down to electricity vs. ethanol, EV drivers have nearly a 2-1 edge.

We've talked before about President Obama's plan to greenify the federal fleet, generally thought of as a good thing. In leading by example, Obama hopes to show the American public that flex-fuel vehicles – and other gas-misers like hybrids and plug-ins – can substantially reduce our dependence on gasoline. However, Jonas Dalidd

Of the 1,076,350 alternative-fuel automobiles made available in the U.S. in 2009, nearly 75 percent (805,777) were flex-fuel capable (E85) vehicles, according to the report "Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels 2009" recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA). The EIA notes that most of the E85-burning vehicles manufactured in 2009 were sold to private individuals and not to commercial or government fleets.

"This technology-neutral Open Fuel Standard is a key step to break the cycle of pain at the pump," says Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD). Bartlett, along with a bipartisan group of House members led by Congressmen John Shimkus (R-IL), and including Eliot Engel (D-NY) and Steve Israel (D-NY), recently introduced the Open Fuel Standard (OFS) Act (HR 1687), which is intended to generate competition at the pump.

Last Friday, the Obama administration announced that it will offer incentives to gasoline stations that install E85 (a fuel consisting of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) pumps as part of the government's effort to boost the use of biofuels. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack said that the administration has set a target of having 10,000 additional E85 pumps nationwide over the next five years. In a statement issued on Friday, Vi

The American political landscape is fraught with trouble and support for biofuels, but the overall shift is towards getting more and more of them in our fuel supply. That's a takeaway point from U.S. DOE Secretary Steven Chu's videotaped address to the National Ethanol

Kia's all-new 2012 Picanto, which will be unveiled to the world at the Geneva Motor Show this coming March, aims to raise the bar in the A-segment via slashed emissions and increased fuel economy. The five-door Picanto supermini will hit dealerships across much of the world (excluding the U.S.) this spring, but the three-door hatchb

Last October, the EPA proposed a new warning label for E15 (a fuel made up of 15 percent ethanol and 85 percent gasoline) to be used on pumps that dispense the newly-approved biofuel. It's a bright orange label with "CAUTION" in capitalized letter emblazoned across the top and looks like a s

Consumer Reports recently surveyed 1,713 car owners in the U.S. and discovered that 39 percent of them will consider buying a hybrid or electric vehicle (EV) for their next vehicle. Out of that group, 60 percent are leaning towards a conventional hybrid, 16 percent are considering a plug-in hybrid and 14 percent are contemplating purchasing an EV. Of course, it bears noting that 'c

In Translogic episode 6.3 we explore biodiesel, the alternative to petroleum-based diesel fuel. Yes, there are big benefits, but the question remains: Will it work for the average diesel passenger car?