GM Offers LA Drivers E85 Ethanol for 85 Cents a Gallon

Chevy has all these E85 vehicles but they forgot to build the infrastructure to sell E85. I have never seen a station selling the product!

WHY!!?? it still uses a resource that RUNS OUT!! god why would they waste this much money?? they shud put it into research of maybe hydrogen fuel cells?? and actually put an effort to make it happen soon... would be cool if all car companys would join together to make it happen. that would be sweet :)

For 2 hours at one station in the L.A. area? That's not even a drop in the bucket, nor is it news worthy.

Couple of quick points to Carcrazy1234 from a GM employee (me) who works in the biofuels area. Ethanol is a renewable resource that doesn't "run out." Even today's corn-based ethanol, which many like to bash because it is supposedly taking food off our tables (that's not true either)isn't like petroleum that is a finite resource renewable. That's why GM pushes E85 - an ethanol based fuel that has just enough gasoline added to help start the engine on cold days. Californians, of which I was one in the '80s, value clean air. E85 today reduces greenhouse gases by at least 23 percent compared with just running gasoline, according to an analysis by Argonne National Laboratory. Next generation ethanol - we like the folks from Coskata who can make it from practically any carbon-containing feedstock - will reduce GHG by up to 84 percent, according to Argonne. E85 is not GM's only play but one of five areas we are sinking significant engineering resources. We are trying to make the internal combustion engine more efficient; we are quickly catching up on hybrids; we're moving on plug-in electrics and fuel cells (there is a demo fleet in CA), but even if all those technologies were ready (and affordable) today, it will take years to get all the cars on the road replaced by these technologies. So ethanol -- specifically E85 -- makes the most sense since there are already more than 6 million vehicles on the road today that can use it. Finding it isn't always easy -- that's true -- by there is a website, www.E85Fuel.com, that lists stations by address in the city and state where they are located. Should be several more stations in SoCal by the end of the year.

its good to see people who know what they are talking about, some people try to bash technologies without even understanding them, i'm all for flex fuel and other alternative fuels, and eddie FYI just in the area where i live, i have seen three fuel stations that sell E85 so thats a start. give it some time and you'll see more and more fuel stations selling it.

alright...1. foxhound u have nothing important to say ever... so shut your trap seriously hahah 2. i still stand by my word, read the article that came recently on how ethanol is WORST than fossil fuels in the home page. it may be efficient in your terms but check this i quote "Corn-based ethanol would cause the biggest problem as so much energy and resources are required to produce small amounts of it, that it is possible to double emissions just from its production and refinement." so seriously foxhound... go read some more and talk less sh*t. haha "i'm all for alternative fuels" buddy... so is everyone else, but considering that's all you care about and not about how they are PRODUCED or MADE, you clearly don't understand why these kinds of alternative fuels aren't so great... good job for trying to sound smart bud.

to cantoncardshar: thanks for your knowledge on the topic... but your only saying it from one point of view?? do you know how these "alternative E85" fuels are made??? why don't you talk about that?? not trying to bash technologies either (to foxhound)... just saying that all car companys should combine ideas and make something that's actually a GOOD alernative fuel that won't affect the environment aka not having to double the emissions to make such a small amount of E85 ethanol.

All that straight from a GM brochure talk is great but the reality is you still get worse gas mileage from E85 and in these times of economic distress only the few(like executive's at GM for example)can afford this great start to the solution of ending pollution. Also you forgot to mention the enviroment when it comes to the manufaturing of E85, and the fact you have to use more of it to drive the same mileage as you normally do. Overall it sounds like more of a marketing ploy han anything. The sad fact is, is that GM's EV-1 program was the better start to a solution than E-85. Its funny that an employee touts the E-85 as a great start in reducing pollution, but leaves out that GM had already done it and backed out for a large list of reasons that only made sense to oil companies and themselves. There are even kits available to make battery powered cars(which I have)and for the people living in major metro area's, and the short distance they drive, battery power makes more sense.

thank you!! at least we have some smart people around on here that actually think deeper into new topics!! :)

I wouldn't call this much of a promotion on GM's part as it is so limited it doesn't even do much for the folks who live near the single station where they are running the "promotion." I will say, however, that GM at least deserves credit for providing an alternative and is working on new ones. All you naysayers in this forum love to jump on GM when they are the only company that has brought forth a technology that is presently available at an affordable cost. There are already thousands of cars on the road with this technology. Where are the germans with their wonderful engineering in all this? Mercedes has Bluetec but you can't get it unless you buy an expensive vehicle with an expensive engine. The VW Tourag diesel was just named the dirtiest vehicle on the road! Surely it would benefit from bluetec and it isn't an affordable vehicle either. GM brought out mild hybrids which gets the technology into the hands of the buying public at a much lower price and all anyone can do is complain that they aren't as efficient as the hybrid systems that cost twice as much. Personally, I think every vehicle that comes off the assembly line (from any manufacturer) should be required to have some level of hybrid technology as this is the only way to start making an impact. When emissions legislation started the government didn't say hey we will give you money if you buy a car with a catalytic converter and not make them mandatory! Where would vehicle emissions levels be now if the emissions technology were optional as hybrid or E85 is today? GM gets bashed for the EV-1 when it cost the company millions and the buying public didn't support it. There is a demand for electrics today but everyone was fine with gas prices back then. Besides, the biggest flaw with the EV-1 is still the biggist challange remaining for hybrids today - the batteries. Battery technology has just started booming in the last four to five years and yet idiots still think the EV-1 was the holy grail of automobiles. I agree it was a good attempt but it was before its time and the economics didn't make sense. GM, nor any other car company for that matter isn't a charity. They make a profit or they don't stay in business. Whats worse is the politicians in the US are putting forth more effort to burden automakers with stricter CAFE regulations (politicians are obviously slow learners) than help drive the public toward the alternative vehicles the experts keeps saying they should build. Get an energy policy already! The buying public in general (that's you and me) are part of the problem as well. There is a demand for hybrids as long as you want to drive a Toyota Prius and "look" environmentally friendly... It is the only hybrid that sells well despite the fact that there are many good hybrid vehicles on the market. The fact is hybrid technology hasn't saturated the new vehicle fleet to levels that makes a difference yet. Currently hybrids make up less than one percent of all the new vehicles sold. Not until more vehicles that actually have enough interior space to carry a family (like GM's Tahoe Hybrid) will hybrids start to saturate the market. I purchased a new vehicle two months ago and I would have loved to have had the option to buy a plug-in hybrid that is large enough to carry my family. The only hybrid on the market that could have done that is the Tahoe and it is well over $50 grand. Give me a break!

The E85 is as close to a Hybrid as french fries are to french food. The sad fact is GM had a chance to keep a electic car going, and keep research going, and instead choose to just scrap the car all together. Why do you think the Prius was created, because Toyota didn't want to be last in line when it came to hybrid vehicles because there was such a demand for this type of car(EV-1). The E85 Flex Fuel does nothing but stall improvements on better alternatives, also Ford had and may still make Flex Fuel cars also and they are no better. To finish this discussion if you read my whole comment you would see that I mentioned that I have a battery powered vehicle that was used with current car batteries and is they best thing I have ever had,2 years and going strong, its to bad people out there assume that just because the auto industry informs us "it can't be done yet with the current technology" that it must be true. As for your issue of having a large family and not being able to afford or not wanting to afford $50 grand for a hybrid Tahoe, looks like you would need 2 battery powered cars and that would be your sacrifice since in your words "we are part of the problem",instead you would be part of the solution