For Release: August 29, 2007
CINCINNATI – The E85 Days of Summer Tour arrived in Cincinnati on Tuesday, Aug. 28 where representatives from General Motors (GM), VeraSun Energy, Kroger and Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced partnerships to expand the availability of E85 ethanol in Ohio and Kentucky, providing consumers even more choices to refuel with the renewable fuel.
To kick things off, GM, VeraSun and Kroger promoted the use of E85 by offering customers E85 ethanol at a price too cheap to pass up at 85 cents per gallon. Customers driving GM FlexFuel vehicles also received a $25.00 Kroger refueling card to be used towards a future purchase of E85 ethanol, and anyone with a GM FlexFuel vehicle that did not have a yellow gas cap or FlexFuel badge had them installed free of charge to remind them of their vehicle’s capabilities. More than 1400 gallons of E85 fuel were pumped during a two hour period.
Owners of GM FlexFuel vehicles who were regular users of E85 lined up to have their turn at the pump, while there were a number of customers who were trying out E85 for the first time. Most agreed the promotional price was the attraction, but many were also interested in using a cleaner fuel that is homegrown, better for Ohio’s economy and the environment, and reduces vehicle emissions and dependence on foreign oil.
“Cincinnati residents could save 120,000 barrels of oil per year if they regularly filled their GM FlexFuel vehicles with E85 ethanol instead of gasoline,” said Mary Beth Stanek, director of GM Environment, Energy and Safety Policy.
At a press conference following the pump promotion, a number of announcements were made to demonstrate each company’s commitment to E85. VeraSun, one of the largest producers of ethanol in the U.S., announced a partnership with Kroger to open more than 20 fueling stations in Ohio and Kentucky that will use VeraSun-branded VE85. The company currently has the capacity to produce approximately 450 million gallons of ethanol from four large production facilities, with five more under construction, including one in Bloomingburg, Ohio.
Enterprise Rent-A-Car designated its Glenway location in Cincinnati as an official VE85/FlexFuel branch, which is part of the company’s nationwide commitment to alternative fuels and technologies. Enterprise has the world’s largest fleet of FlexFuel vehicles with 41,000 E85-capable cars and trucks. Twenty-five percent of the fleet at the Glenway branch will be GM FlexFuel vehicles and will be refueled with VE85 at the Harrison Avenue Kroger.
Materials will also be placed in each FlexFuel vehicle showing the locations of Kroger’s Ohio VE85 fueling stations with information on the environmental benefits of E85. Enterprise plans to designate car rental locations in Columbus and Dayton as official VE85/FlexFuel branches committed to fueling their FlexFuel vehicles at Kroger stations.
“Part of our goal as a company is to reduce the environmental impact of our own fleet,” said Bobby Willard, vice president and general manager of Central Southwest Ohio Group for Enterprise Rent-A-Car. “In addition, we know our customers care about the environment too and we want to make it easier for them to make sustainable choices.”
GM already has more than 2 million FlexFuel models on North American roads. For the 2007 model year, GM offers 14 E85-capable FlexFuel models.
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