For Release: August 21, 2007
CHICAGO – From oil country to the Corn Belt, the General Motors E85 Days of Summer tour hit the Windy City on Wednesday, Aug. 15 after Texas stops in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas.
Illinois is home to more than 150 fueling stations offering E85 ethanol and there are nearly 100 stations selling E85 within 100 miles of Chicago. But even with the relatively high concentration of availability, awareness is still comparatively low.
While outside the NBC Studios on Michigan Avenue, FlexFuel versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Impala with splashy E85 ethanol graphics drew numerous stares and puzzled looks from most passersby, and the GM team used the opportunity to generate awareness for the alternative fuel.
Mary Beth Stanek, director of GM Environment, Energy and Safety Policy, and representatives from various industry organizations including the American Lung Association, Chicago-Area Clean Cities Coalition, VeraSun and the Illinois Corn Marketing Board conducted a special presentation and panel discussion later in the morning at the Museum of Science and Industry (MOSI).
Local media grilled the panelists on everything from the environmental impact of E85 and its effectiveness compared with petroleum to future plans for other alternative fuels.
Stanek outlined GM’s propulsion strategy explaining there is no “silver bullet” to reducing America’s dependence on foreign oil, but E85 is an alternative that is ready right now. She also discussed the various advanced technology vehicles in GM’s product portfolio such as the Saturn Aura Green Line, and upcoming hybrid versions of the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon and Chevy Malibu.
In response to a question on infrastructure, Rick Eggebrecht, vice president of Market Development for VeraSun Energy commented, “VeraSun has more than 90 stations in nine states selling our E85. Thru Gas City we have 26 stations in the Illinois area.”
The panel also explained corn growers produce an average of 1 million bushels of surplus each year and E85 ethanol gets about 34 percent more energy than it takes to produce while addressing some common myths about E85 ethanol production.
When the cornmeal settled, most in attendance had a better understanding of the challenges to educate consumers on and increase infrastructure for E85, and many agreed the benefits of breaking U.S. dependence on foreign oil, reducing vehicle emissions and improving vehicle performance outweighed the challenges.
Outside MOSI, a mother and her two sons were asked what they knew about E85 ethanol in a scene reminiscent of the popular television show “Are You Smarter than a Fifth Grader?” The 11-year-old knew immediately E85 consists of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline, while the mother was only vaguely aware.
The day concluded with an E85 ethanol pump promotion at Gas City in Romeoville, Ill. In the span of two hours, 740 gallons of E85 ethanol at 85 cents per gallon was pumped thanks to a combination of news and radio promotion and word of mouth.
Many customers simply stopped after seeing the advertised price on the marquee. One customer was even overheard commenting he couldn’t believe it was 85 cents, thinking the “2” had fallen off the sign.
# # #
CONTACT(S):
Connie Burke
GM Communication Manager
586-947-6337, 248-561-9148