In Dallas, a businessman has spent half a million dollars to install nine pumps that dispense E85, E10, and biodiesel. The catch: the businessman is a HUMMER dealer, and the pumps are next to his dealership. The station is called Classic Clean Fuels, and it is intended to make a statement for next year's H2 and H2 SUT, which will be the first production models to be Flex-fuel capable.
You won't need to drive a HUMMER to get E85 at the station. The pumps are open to the public, a first for a dealer-owned gas station. By 2010, GM has said all HUMMERs will be biofuel-capable. GM plans to market 15 Flexfuel models next year, but only one percent of the country's service stations sell E85. GM is using that as an opportunity to open the public's (and dealers') minds to putting alternative fuel stations in alternative places.
Said GM's Larry Burns, "Down the road we may even want to consider hydrogen dispensers at dealerships."
[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
lvdave @ Mar 30th 2008 4:20PM
Anyone know how much biodiesel costs at the pumps? Diesel here in Vegas cost almost $4/gallon.
tony han @ Mar 30th 2008 4:30PM
Ethanol is a joke, why are we even subsidizing it?
Thetruck454 @ Mar 30th 2008 4:37PM
so now they get 8 mpg instead of 12?
MikeW @ Mar 30th 2008 5:46PM
Shouldn't that be 9 instead of 8.
ltclloyd @ Mar 30th 2008 4:39PM
Bring it on... More E85 I love it. as we get more it'll get chaeper and once It becomes availble enough I can convert my car over 100% I can't wait. although the 2.2 ecotec going biofuel Is exciting too, I really enjoyed my last ecotec car and adding native E85 would make that a near perfect car for me. I just wish I could find more in more places.
H E R M A N @ Mar 30th 2008 5:07PM
@ ltclloyd
well then I guess you'll be one of the few spending much more for much less.
ltclloyd @ Mar 30th 2008 8:01PM
sorry I don't understand.. I spend less for less, or more for more. right now on petrol I get about 25mpg I don't find enough E85 to maximize tuning, yet... but just extending Injector pulse width I get about 20% less MPG (or about 20 MPG) but pay 20% less then regular in cost. My only advantage isusually my car needs 91 or better octane which here is actually a whole dollar more then E85 so there is a small net cost benefit. but hey as someone that's driven thousands of miles on the stuff and done the math. and my own experments. I guess I should have not wasted all that time actually learning the truth and just spouted out anti ethanol rhetoric, Silly me.
there is value, just make it more availble.. and cheaper PLEASE!
carguy @ Mar 30th 2008 4:44PM
And since it costs more energy to make a gallon of Ethanol that is in a gallon Ethanol, the Hummer can now use even more energy.
Ethanol is scam perpetrated by the corn lobby and manufacturers that get big CAFE credits for E85 compatible vehicles.
P Smithy @ Mar 30th 2008 8:14PM
Thanks to you and others who understand that E85 is a waste of energy. I can't even imagine what mileage the new Hummers are going to get with this fuel. I think GM just likes making cool badges to put on their cars. And you know what, people actually think there car is better on the environment because it has the ability to run on E85. It is a scam.
Guenther @ Mar 31st 2008 10:21AM
Idiocy!
1st- Ethanol does NOT have a negative net energy, but rather at least a 10% gain. Newer processes are better.
2nd- Do you have any Idea of how much energy it takes to get a gallon of Gasoline to the pump???
3rd- All energy is not equal. I can't put electricity (or gas/coal heat) into my [hypothetical] Impala, Taurus, Ranger, OR Hummer.
David @ Mar 30th 2008 4:51PM
Yes, ethanol as a fuel is a joke. Causes more pollution, is less efficient, drives up costs of corn and other products. I have no idea how people thought this was a good idea.
Allan Drake @ Mar 30th 2008 5:27PM
I think corn fuel a scam. Hummer needs to go electric, NOT corny. Its like they wanted to make their cars even worse.
Curt @ Mar 30th 2008 5:32PM
The biggest car market is in California and there aren't any E85 stations here.
So what's the point ?
Large oil companies don't own farms or fields of corn, so what is their incentive to sell a fuel that they don't control and doesn't earn them as much money as gasoline ?
spacegravity4me @ Mar 30th 2008 5:33PM
Ok, all good points. But you have to admit that the idea of putting hydrogen fill-ups at dealers is a good one. I was kinda like, why didn't I think of that? It could really jump start things in the future. If it takes putting e85 out first to get people used to the idea of losing gasoline then it's alright by me. Dern internal combustion engines. They're great fun but I want fuel cell cars with super efficient batteries and regenerative braking! Oh, and a unicorn. lol
Brent @ Mar 30th 2008 5:38PM
I think GM is behind ethanol because it is investing heavily in ethanol that isn't based on corn.
sean @ Mar 30th 2008 6:43PM
Brent is exactly right. Corn-based ethanol is just a stop gap to get the cellulose ethanol or even butanol.
Besides, even if farmers are now making the money with the corn-based ethanol scenario, I would rather they make it than oil companies. If everyone has forgotten, they are the heritage of our country.
tankd0g @ Mar 30th 2008 7:17PM
GM is making E85 vehicles because that's the loop hole they negotiated with CAFE so they could continue to sell their land yaghts.
HotRodzNKustoms @ Mar 30th 2008 9:28PM
Hydrogen pumps would be good
Jimmy @ Mar 31st 2008 1:28AM
My small four cylinder GM truck runs 100% on E85. I'd prefer to keep money in the US economy. Also, this is just paving the way for second generation bio fuels from wood wastes, trash, switch grass, etc.
Personally no interest in an H2, but a flexfuel crossover SUV - like a GM Theta platform - would be cool.
Disgruntled Goat @ Mar 31st 2008 8:58AM
Since the H2 is really just a Tahoe, and all the Tahoes are e85 (aren't they?) compatible, wouldn't the H2 be e85 compatible as well?