Apr 21, 2006 5:36 pm US/Eastern
New Cars Made To Carry Flex Fuel
by Maria LaRosa
PHILADELPHIA (CBS 3) ―
As our pump patrol points out, gas prices are forcing many of us to take drastic measures.
Car and truck owners may even consider selling their old vehicle for a "flex-fuel" one.
Car manufacturers, like General Motors, are already revving up their flex-fuel production line.
Flex-fuel vehicles can run on as little as 15 percent gas and 85 percent ethanol.
"Yellow is the color of corn refined into e85 ethanol," is a line from a General Motors commercial.
The buzz word here is "ethanol". It's what will help Americans use less gas, keep prices down and rely more on American farmers producing corn.
"Well, we're trying to reduce our dependence on crude oil in the United States," said gas station owner, John Ciccone.
This may be your first close-up look at a flex-fuel vehicle, but it won't be your last.
Dealership manager, Rich Hagmayer, explained, "Manufacturers of the vehicles are anticipating in the future that the oil manufacturers will be producing various types of fuel that will be planned to use in the vehicles instead of just gasoline."
And it's no wonder these vehicles are eco-friendly and energy independent.
Already most of our cars run on ten percent ethanol and 90 percent gas.
But these flex-fuel vehicles can also run on 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gas.
The advantages: it sells for the same as unleaded gas, reduces carbon dioxide emissions, making it more eco-friendly, and is domestically produced by American farmers.
The disadvantage: finding a gas station serving e85 fuel.
Plans are already in the works to change a Sunoco gas station in Center City into a gas and ethanol fueling stop and, according to one consumer group, another gas station serving e-85 at the pump will be opening sometime next month in Lancaster County.
(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
