| During the State of the Union Address on January | | | | according to Ford Executive Vice President Anne |
| 31,2006 President George W. Bush presented a | | | | Stevens. This means that the American consumer |
| plan to the people of the United States and to | | | | will find these vehicles in showrooms sooner |
| the U.S. Congress to replace more than 75 | | | | rather than later. |
| percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by | | | | USA Today writer James R. Healy did a cover |
| 2025.He spoke of hybrid cars, hydrogen based | | | | story on Thursday February 2,2006 highlighting |
| fuel cell cars and the expansion of ethanol fueled | | | | the message from the States of the Union |
| vehicles. The ethanol-based technology is already | | | | Address indicating that E85 is not the answer |
| here, there are already somewhere in the | | | | because among other things the infrastructure is |
| neighborhood of 5 million Flexible Fuel Vehicles | | | | not in place, except for the Midwest, and, if you |
| (FFV) already on the road in the USA.FFV can run | | | | do not own one of the 5 million FFV currently on |
| on regular unleaded gasoline or a blend of 85 | | | | the road you would need to buy a new car that |
| percent ethanol and 15 percent regular unleaded | | | | can use E85. I understand these very valid points |
| gasoline (known as E85) or any percentage of | | | | but I also must say that it is February 2006 as I |
| ethanol and gasoline blend in between. | | | | write this article and 2025 is still 19 years away. |
| The expansion of FFV is, in my opinion, an | | | | The technology is here; we just need to get on |
| opportunity for General Motors and Ford to step | | | | board with the new technology now in order to |
| forward and show the American people that they | | | | cut the dependency on foreign oil imports in the |
| can compete by building vehicles that are friendlier | | | | future. |
| to the environment and not dependent on | | | | In his USA Today feature article Mr. Healy noted |
| products imported to us from the politically volatile | | | | that Ford CEO Bill Ford states his company will |
| Middle East. | | | | boost FFV production 25% this year to 250,000. |
| Ford showed off an ethanol-hybrid SUV this past | | | | Also noted was that General Motors has pledged |
| January at the Washington, D.C. auto show, as | | | | to build more than 400,000 FFV annually, starting |
| reported by USA Today writer James R. Healy. | | | | this year. Noting that a barrel of oil is saved for |
| This E85-burning hybrid Ford Escape is part of a | | | | every 37 gallons of E85 that is used. |
| development program, not a research program, | | | | |