Millions take advantage of ethanol savings at the pump
WASHINGTON, D.C. —With temperatures rising, millions of Americans will hit the highway for road trips and family fun. As the summer driving season kicks into high gear, Americans are embracing higher blends of ethanol in gasoline as a proven cost-effective solution to save dollars at the pump.
According to the Department of Energy, more than nine million Flex Fuel vehicles (FFV) were on the road in 2011, with an expected 12 percent growth in 2012. Nationally, retailers and distributers are embracing Flex Fuel to meet consumer demand; there are now more than 3,000 retail locations, with more opening almost daily.
“We decided to install Flex Fuel pumps because there are thousands of FFVs in our surrounding cities that can fuel up. It has been a successful addition to our fuel lineup and continues to grow,” said Martin-Eagle Oil Company President Stephen Martin, whose company recently opened Flex Fuel pumps in the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. The company now has five Flex Fuel stations, and offers wholesale distribution throughout the region.
Considering that the average family spends 8 percent of its household income on gasoline, a staggering total of $470 billion in 2011, the increased demand for Flex Fuel comes as no surprise to Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis: “Americans are standing up against years and years of price gouging and financial abuse by the likes of foreign oil to embrace an affordable solution that is home-grown and distributed in communities across the U.S.”
Assisting Americans in locating cheaper, cleaner fuel, Growth Energy’s EthanolRetailer.com will feature a Flex Fuel mapping feature and smartphone app for drivers to search for nearby ethanol pumps. The website, to be re-launched on June 5, seeks to continue raising awareness and the benefits of American ethanol.
“This campaign comes at a critical time as Americans will soon be able to enjoy higher blends of ethanol fuels as the EPA recently approved provisions allowing E15 to be used in all vehicles made after 2001. Thanks to ethanol, fuel can and should be affordable for all motorists,” Buis concluded.
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About Growth Energy
Growth Energy represents the producers and supporters of ethanol who feed the world and fuel America in ways that achieve energy independence, improve economic well-being and create a healthier environment for all Americans now.