Flex-Fuel Vehicles: is E85 Ethanol Based Fuel the First Step to Beating Oil Addiction?

During the State of the Union Address on Januaryaccording to Ford Executive Vice President Anne
31,2006 President George W. Bush presented aStevens. This means that the American consumer
plan to the people of the United States and towill find these vehicles in showrooms sooner
the U.S. Congress to replace more than 75rather than later.
percent of our oil imports from the Middle East byUSA Today writer James R. Healy did a cover
2025.He spoke of hybrid cars, hydrogen basedstory on Thursday February 2,2006 highlighting
fuel cell cars and the expansion of ethanol fueledthe message from the States of the Union
vehicles. The ethanol-based technology is alreadyAddress indicating that E85 is not the answer
here, there are already somewhere in thebecause among other things the infrastructure is
neighborhood of 5 million Flexible Fuel Vehiclesnot in place, except for the Midwest, and, if you
(FFV) already on the road in the USA.FFV can rundo not own one of the 5 million FFV currently on
on regular unleaded gasoline or a blend of 85the road you would need to buy a new car that
percent ethanol and 15 percent regular unleadedcan use E85. I understand these very valid points
gasoline (known as E85) or any percentage ofbut 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, anThe technology is here; we just need to get on
opportunity for General Motors and Ford to stepboard with the new technology now in order to
forward and show the American people that theycut the dependency on foreign oil imports in the
can compete by building vehicles that are friendlierfuture.
to the environment and not dependent onIn his USA Today feature article Mr. Healy noted
products imported to us from the politically volatilethat 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 pastAlso noted was that General Motors has pledged
January at the Washington, D.C. auto show, asto 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 aevery 37 gallons of E85 that is used.
development program, not a research program,