For Release: August 3, 2007
AUSTIN – Glynnis Bouldin of Austin, Texas, said she was up all night anticipating the joy of filling her Chevy Tahoe with E85 ethanol for 85 cents per gallon.
“I was so excited I couldn’t sleep last night,” she said. “I didn’t know how many people were going to be in line, so I was waking up every hour.”
Before daybreak on Thursday, Aug. 2, Bouldin was waiting her turn at the E85 pump at the HEB Grocery Store fuel station just off I-35 on Canyon Road in Austin. She wasn’t first in line, but a close third.
It was the second E85 fuel pump promotion staged by GM and HEB along the I-35 corridor as part of the E85 Days of Summer Campaign to create a buzz about ethanol, and hopefully win over some opinions about the fuel.
“I use (E85) pretty regularly,” Bouldin said. “I try to use it more than regular gas. I use it because of the price, and my Tahoe runs fine on it.”
Lloyd Hendrix of Leander, Texas, was also among the first to fuel up with E85 during the promotion.
“It does the same as other gas. It’s just cheaper,” he said. “Mileage wise, I’ve checked it, and it hasn’t affected the mileage.”
Hendrix said he thinks E85 is a good choice that would catch on, if it were more convenient for customers.
“I wish they’d have more filling stations with it,” he said. “I think people would buy it.”
Not filling up with 85-cent fuel was Austin cab driver Asim Ziaidi whose cab doesn’t run on E85 ethanol.
“I saw the advertisement a week ago. It would be great if gas was cheaper for me,” he said as he pumped gasoline priced at $2.75 per gallon. “I’m paying too much, that’s for sure.”
The 85-cent E85 ethanol promotion lasted for only two hours from 7-9 a.m., but more than 1,250 gallons of E85 were pumped. Some customers, like Hendrix, even brought gas cans to fill.
Currently, there are more than 6 million vehicles in the U.S. capable of running on E85. Of those, 2 million were built by General Motors.
# # #