Priming the Market
This week brings news from General Motors that half of its vehicles will be able to run on ethanol by 2012. That time frame coincides with the expected ramp-up of cellulosic ethanol production by GM’s partner Coskata, Inc., which plans to make fuel from renewable biomass, agricultural waste and municipal solid waste.
We have America’s corn ethanol producers to thank for both developments.
They have proven that they can supply the market with enough renewable fuel to warrant expanded production of flex-fuel vehicles. Meanwhile, they are building out the necessary infrastructure to distribute ethanol made from any feedstock. In fact, in many cases, it will be today’s corn ethanol production facilities that are expanded to produce the coming generations of cellulosic ethanol that will be made from corn stover and other crop waste.
Source:
“GM Making More Ethanol Cars,” The Associated Press, February 7, 2008
