Could it
be? Toyota is taking a page from a book by General Motors and other U.S. automakers by announcing plans to offer
flex-fuel vehicles that run on E85 fuel or gasoline by 2008. Toyota had resisted the urge up until now, due to the risk
of fuel corroding the rubber engine seals, but the company isn't exactly one to stay out of an alternative fuel
party for very long. Initially, the Japanese carmaker will offer the models in ethanol-happy Brazil, and rather
than announce plans to expand into the U.S., Toyota suggested that Americans switch to blends of fuel with 10 percent
ethanol (which most traditional gasoline engines can handle), making the gasoline savings more widespread.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Tim 7:57AM (4/20/2006)
Awww well there goes GMs green claim to fame. Too bad you can't buy E85 anywhere you would actually want to visit!
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Hank 8:29AM (4/20/2006)
Is there an engineer hear who can explain why in Brazil a 20 year old Beetle can run on ethanol, but in the States we need specially engineered new fleets to do so? I understand about the erosion and all, but why can the old Beetle handle it?
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Don L 8:31AM (4/20/2006)
Where are all the haters? Toyota is ridiculously late to the party with a new technology, something everyone is always beating up on the domestics about, and no one says anything? This might be a fad like the hybrid nonsense was, but props to GM for being ahead of the game for a change. Hopefully the price per gallon of this stuff will come down eventually, so that we end up with a sustainable alternative to gas.
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Don L 8:34AM (4/20/2006)
#1: Because the 20 year-old beetle was re-engineered 20 years ago to handle either gas or ethanol, just like what is being done here. Brazil has been using ethanol for about 30 years now, so likely almost all vehicles sold there are flex-fuel, and have been for some time.
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jordan 8:49AM (4/20/2006)
Don L, perhaps you should applaud Ford for being ahead of the game, and applaud GM for going on a marketing blitz to try and say they are the first to market e85 vehicles. IIRC, GM didn't start selling E85 vehicles until MY'01. Check out the Ford Taurus, which has FFV vehicles dating back to around '96. They then started using it on the Ranger in '99, and have since done it on quite a few more vehicles.
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Mike 8:49AM (4/20/2006)
I'm with Don, man if this was turned the other way the GM haters would be all over it where are all the posts for Toyota being in late to party.
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Don L 9:08AM (4/20/2006)
Jordan - You're right, and I guess what it shows is that it doesn't matter who was first to the party, but who talks the loudest once they get there. Toyota has proven it over and over again with the marketing effort behind their hybrid program.
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Bowser 9:15AM (4/20/2006)
My 2001 Ford Explorer Sport Trac accepts E85 (says so right in the user's manual); it would seem that GM, Toyota & the others who are all of a sudden touting flex-fuel support are a little late to the party.
Although, it's not much of a party - I have never filled my truck with E85 because I have never seen a gas station that carries it & I live in Orlando, which is one of the most traveled places in the world. Heavily marketing this idea of flex fuel vehicles to the American public when there are no gas stations that stock it seems to be rather stupid to me, especially when my flex-fuel truck from half a decade ago has yet to taste E85.
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doug 9:40AM (4/20/2006)
Ummmm, Gm and Ford didn't make all those fex-fuel cars because they love the environment. They get CAFE fuel economy credits for doing so. They have been making these cars for years. I would like to see it mandatory that all cars be capable of running on E85, then there would be some incentive for gas stations to add pumps.
While we're at it, to solve the drug porblem, why don't we pay the Afghans to plant corn instead of poppies? Them we can covert it to E85 and they get money for a legal crop.
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goat 9:41AM (4/20/2006)
"but the company isn't exactly one to stay out of an alternative fuel party for very long"
Huh? Where are their diesels?
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Puff Chippy 9:42AM (4/20/2006)
It's about time Toyota caught up with the 21st century. Way to bandwagon.
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Ron Wagner 10:02AM (4/20/2006)
Arizona just legalized ethanol, Florida may have also. Florida has also stopped Wal Mart from selling cheaper gasoline.
When people start making their own ethanol, it will get cheaper. All you need is an inexpensive still, a little study and a lot of work. You also have to have corn, sugar cane, sugar beets or whatever you can make into alcohol. This would be a good job for a lot of people, especially corn farmers. Diesel can be made from soybeans also. Byproducts can be used for animal feed.
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Richard Warren 10:32AM (4/20/2006)
Early, late, in between, it's good that pretty much all are looking at different ways to improve overall.
#8 "Huh? Where are their diesels?" Agreed
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Fred 10:33AM (4/20/2006)
Hmmmm... Maybe a flex fuel Prius?
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ticker 10:54AM (4/20/2006)
> Huh? Where are their diesels?
In Europe where they make sense due to Diesels being taxed less then petro; Just as E85 is now ariving in the U.S. to a exploit a loophole in the CAFE Laws.
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Justin 12:29PM (4/20/2006)
I love how nobody here on the internet actually looks anything up before typing.
Ford had FFV in 1999. Too bad GM was first in 1998 with the 2.2L S10 engine. Perhaps in the future you can google before spouting.
GM can advertise all it wants. Don't like it, don't buy it.
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Foster Beall 2:15PM (4/20/2006)
Ohio has been using a blend of 90 percent gasoline/10 percent ethanol for years. Why is there no saving at the pumps there? Could it be by adding the ethanol and keeping the prices up, the profits are bigger?
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Foster Beall 2:15PM (4/20/2006)
Ohio has been using a blend of 90 percent gasoline/10 percent ethanol for years. Why is there no saving at the pumps there? Could it be by adding the ethanol and keeping the prices up, the profits are bigger?
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BOB 2:23PM (4/20/2006)
Nuke those filthy Arabs and the oil is all ours....!!!!
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John 2:46PM (4/20/2006)
I have two cars of 2005, GM. and niether car can use flex fuel. I think gas price would $200 a gallon before we American get off our buts and do something about it.
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