Alt fuels at the White House

Just this morning President George W. Bush met with three movers and shakers in the US auto industry, Chrysler Group president and CEO Tom LaSorda, Ford Motor Company president and CEO Alan Mulally, and General Motors chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner. Their topic of choice? Alternative fuels and reducing the United States’ heavy appetite for gasoline. Each company said they are ready to make half of their annual vehicle production E85 and biodiesel-capable by 2012 and stressed the fact that increased incentives are needed to produce and distribute biofuels.

What else did they chat about?

• There are over 6 million FFVs on the road today, with 1 more million added in 2007. That’s over 3.6 billion gallons of gasoline displacement annually thanks to E85.
• Add to that the next ten year’s worth of committed production vehicles from these three automakers, and the gasoline displacement tallies up to 22 billion gallons.
• Thinking ahead to 2017, these numbers could increase to 37 billion gallons of gasoline replaced with a commitment from all the automakers. Let's hope they do.
• Biodiesel can help make a dent also. If all diesel vehicles fuel up with B5, that would make for 1.85 billion gallons of petroleum not needed. Up that to B20 and you’re talking an even bigger savings of 7.4 billion gallons per year.

But what we like best of all is that these three CEOs asked the Pres to make it easier for ordinary folks to find and use these alternatives. And that’s where the numbers tell the cold, hard truth: out of 170,000 fueling stations in America, there are only about 1,100 E85 pumps and 1,000 biodiesel pumps. Is there an E85 pump or biodiesel pump near you? Isn't it about time there is?