| VA-MD-DC E85 Infrastructure Project |
Objective: Make E85 publicly available in up to 12 locations in Virginia, Maryland and DC by providing grant funds to station owners to help defray the cost of conversion.
Where:
* I-95 from Maryland to North Caroina
* I-64 from Charlottesville to Virginia Beach
* Near federal and state E85-capable fleets
How:
* Define and develop E85 supply chain
* Partnerships with ethanol producers, fuel distributors/retailers, vehicle dealers, owners of fleet Flex Fule Vehicles (FFV)
* Grant money helps defray the capital costs and risk
Grants and Tax Credits:
* Up to $12,000 in grants available per E85 hose
* 50% federal tax credit for infrastructure (credit was increased from 30% to 50% in American Recovery & Reinvestment Act)
* Grant money, tax incentives, marketing support and government fleet dedication can reduce capital cost and lower investment risk, especially when: an existing tank can be converted to E85, an additional tank can be added to a new build, and/or a large FFV fleet will agree to fuel at the facility.
2-year Project Cost:
* $767,000 total project
* $284,000 federal portion (37%; 1 of 13 competitive DOE awards)
* $483,000 match (63%, sources: VA, MD, DC private)
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First E85 Station Opening
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| Photo Above: U.S. Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman (left) pumps E85 ethanol fuel into a General Motors E85 FlexFuel vehicle as GM VP Beth Lowery looks on at the Georgetown Chevron station in Washington, DC Thursday, June 28, 2007. General Motors Photo/Mark Finkenstaedt. |
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The first recipient of money from the Virginia-Maryland-DC E85 grant managed by Virginia Clean Cities will be Mid-Atlantic Petroleum Properties LLC for adding the renewable corn-based fuel to a station on Wisconsin Avenue in the tony Georgetown neighborhood of Washington DC. Mid-Atlantic converted an existing diesel tank at the Chevron-branded location, one of about 50 retail locations owned or supplied by the company. Owners Carlos and May-May Horcasitas have plans to add E85 soon to as many as five or six additional Mid-Atlantic stations within the Capital Beltway, mostly in DC.
Many thanks for making E85 publicly available in DC to Mid-Atlantic Petroleum and to grant partner General Motors for bringing together Verasun Energy, the second largest US ethanol producer, and Enterprise Rent-A-Car, owner of the world’s largest light-duty fleet, which dedicated its premier “E85 flex-fuel branch,” where 50 GM FFVs will be available to customers who may refuel with E85 at the nearby Georgetown Chevron.
Verasun’s VE85 brand of the ethanol blended fuel also now will be offered at Virginia’s only public E85 pump, located at the Navy Exchange on Joyce Street in Arlington, across from the Pentagon.
Speakers at the press event included General Motors Vice President of Environment, Energy and Safety Policy, Beth Lowery; United States Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman; USDA Assistant Secretary for Administration, Boyd Rutherford; VeraSun Energy Chairman and CEO, Don Endres; Enterprise Rent-A-Car Senior Vice President of North American Operations, Matthew Darrah; and MidAtlantic Petroleum CEO, Carlos Horcasitas.
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E85 Educational Materials
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After E85 infrastructure is available, it is important to educate drivers of FFVs on where they can purchase E85 so that new locations will be patronized. A brochure was developed with a customizable cover so it can target different audiences. The brochure includes unrestricted public access, restricted public access, and private E85 stations, and explains the benefits of using the alternative fuel and makes it clear that E85 can only be used in E85-capable FFVs.
| E85 Station Locator Brochure |
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| E85 Station in Richmond (private access) |
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Financing Alternative Fuels -- Making a Business Case
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Tax Credits and Other Incentives
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The Federal and Virginia Executive Orders Strongly Encourage the Use of Alternative Fuels in Federal and State Vehicles
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General & Technical Information on E85
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