E85 Ethanol in Every Car?

The New York Times
June 27, 2009, 2:00 am

By Jim Motavalli
 
Energy Secretary Steven Chu is a cheerleader for cellulosic ethanol made from biomass, and to that end he’d like to see all cars capable of running on biofuels.

In a speech in Des Moines, Ia., this week, Mr. Chu said, “I’ve been told it costs about $100 in gaskets and fuel lines to turn a car so that it can go all the way to E85.”

To the industry, this sounded suspiciously like there might be a government directive in the offing. Despite later denials by Mr. Chu’s spokesman that the Des Moines speech had any such intention, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers quickly let it be known that it opposes technology mandates of any kind, and that automakers should be free to choose where to put their research dollars.

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