I was just reading about “Flex-Fuel” cars, and it turns out that Hawaii has the greatest share, with more than 1,000 flex-fuel vehicles purchased or leased by various agencies. The U.S. Navy tops the list.
Here lies the problem:
In Hawaii, the Navy has more than 670 flex-fuel vehicles. Not one of the sedans, sport-utility vehicles or trucks has ever operated on E85. No ethanol-production facility exists in Hawaii, so the fuel would have to be shipped by tanker.
…The Department of Energy, which oversees the program, declined interview requests. In a statement, officials defended their efforts.
“The U.S. Government continues to promote diversification of alternative fuels and vehicles in order to reduce our dependence on oil and cut greenhouse gas emissions,” spokesman Jennifer Scoggins wrote. “We work with private industry partners to develop and grow infrastructure of alternative fuels.”
Scoggins pointed to a two-year growth spurt of E85 stations, which dispense fuel that is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Since 2006, ethanol stations have increased from 481 to 1,689 nationally, but most are in the Midwest…
More Here
Filed under: Military, Transportation Tagged: | Military, Transportation
Those vehicles are capable of running on ethanol, it isn’t a requirement. When the gov. mandates fuel gpm and alternative capability, they also urge each sector to purchase that capability. If Maui decided to convert their crops to ethanol, there’d be a test platform right here, or if the proposed cane plantings on Oahu got hold it could pay off. Also the E85 capability is already in a lot of GM vehicles from the 90s. It isn’t a high end option anymore. As usual the govt does what the treehuggers want, and are attacked by the same forces.