Click on the E85 Chevy HHR for a high res gallery
General Motors continues to add flex-fuel capability to their fleet in a bid to reach their publicly-stated goal of selling at least half of their vehicles with biofuel capability by 2012. The latest member of the team to be able to run on any mix of gasoline or E85 is the Chevy HHR. The HHR will have E85 capability on both the 2.2L and 2.4L EcoTec four cylinder engines. This is the first four cylinder flex-fuel engine that GM has offered in the U.S. market. The 2.4L engine was already equipped with variable valve timing and for 2009, the that feature gets added to the smaller engine as well. Like many other smaller vehicles, HHR sales have been on the upswing of late with January sales up 73 percent from 2007.
[Source: Chevrolet]
2009 Chevrolet HHR Gets E85 FlexFuel Capability
Ecotec four-cylinder engines to join industry-leading FlexFuel lineup
CHICAGO - The 2009 Chevrolet HHR small SUV will become the first four-cylinder model in General Motors Corp.'s North American lineup that can run on either gasoline or E85 ethanol.
GM North America President Troy Clarke unveiled the FlexFuel Chevy HHR today during a speech at the Midwest Automotive Media Association breakfast, which opened press days for the Chicago Auto Show.
"We will continue to make more of our lineup FlexFuel-capable because we believe ethanol, and specifically E85, is the best near-term answer to reduce our nation's dependence on oil as energy demand rises here and around the world," Clarke said.
"The focus needs to be on making E85 more available by developing cellulosic ethanol sources and dramatically increasing the number of stations that offer E85," he said.
GM is the auto industry leader in offering FlexFuel models - 11 for 2008 and more than 15 planned for 2009.
The HHR, whose January sales of 9,650 were up 73 percent from the same month a year ago, will become the latest Chevrolet FlexFuel model when it goes on sale later this year. Chevrolet has more than 2 million of GM's more than 2.5 million FlexFuel vehicles on the road.
An HHR running on E85 - a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline - would emit up to 23 percent fewer carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions than if running on gasoline, based on a well-to-wheel analysis by the Argonne National Laboratory.
The HHR will be available with an Ecotec 2.2-liter or Ecotec 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine, both of which will be compatible with E85. For the first time, the Ecotec 2.2L is equipped with variable valve timing (VVT), technology that assures precise opening and closing of the valves and accurate control of combustion gases to improve engine performance and efficiency. The Ecotec 2.4L continues to offer VVT.
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