Remember the promises Detroit made to the previous admininstration about making a large percentage of their NON-hybrid vehicles E85 capable, a technology that's been available since the mid-80's? Well, that hasn't happened. So, thinking we'll see it was a hybrid already stretched beyond the hype is really pushing it. Over-Promise, Under Deliver. .
Actually, the "concept" was to create an affordable "green" car that would run on electricity for local commutes and on "green" flex fuel (E85 where available) for longer highway trips. GM is gradually dismantling the "concept," reducing the promised EV range while increasing the price, and now eliminating the ability to be "green" for those longer trips. I predict that the EV range will be further cut by reducing the number of batteries, in the name of "keeping the car affordable" while actually still pricing it out of the reach of most families, all at the same time that Nissan is selling a pure EV that really is affordable.
E85 rotting in a tank for a long period of time while the car runs on electricity is a problem. It's shelf life is very short, from what I've read...although I'm no expert by any means.
c'mon now, someone's got to pay the cost of propping up corn costs (while some folks in the world starve to death) .
Isn't ethanol the stuff you put in the tank to prevent the gas from spoiling if you're going to leave your car for a long time without running it? Not to worry, though: The Volt will probably end up with such a short EV range that the ICE will run most every time you drive it.
E85 is not really all that green. Maybe in the future it will be. Again, who cares? This is a non event.
Dry gas is an [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol"]alcohol[/ame]-based additive used in [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automobiles"]automobiles[/ame] to prevent any water in the fuel from [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freezing"]freezing[/ame], or to restore combustive power to [ame="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gasoline"]gasoline[/ame] spoiled by water.
First of all, I would say GM actually has lived up to the promise of E85. I can't count the number of GM vehicles I see (mostly trucks and SUVs) which have the "flexfuel" logo on the back. The sad part is, less than 1% of those vehicles are ever actually filled with E85 because most of the drivers either don't know about it or don't care. There are no E85 stations around here in Fort Worth that I am aware of. Second of all, if the Chevy Volt falls in the price range of $35,000 or less, I will be the first one at the dealership to buy one in my area. And since my daily round-trip commute is about 12 miles, I seriously doubt I'll ever use gas in it. I'll probably never fill the tank up all the way because I'll probably have to run the engine once or twice a year just to make sure I get all the old gas out of there. So I might leave a gallon or so in there and that would be it. So I couldn't care less about the E85 issue. I also agree with others that the whole E85 issue was just a distraction from the real problems (much like fuel-cells) and offers little to no environmental benefit in the long run.
