Resources to Find Local Alternative Fuels

Did you know that there are over 6 million flex fuel vehicles on the road in the United States? Flex fuel vehicles (FFV) are designed to run on either gasoline or an 85% ethanol/15% gasoline blend called E85. Although flex fuel vehicles may seem like a relatively new concept, the first one was a 1908 Model T Ford. So they've been around a while. Unfortunately, many people don't even know they own a flex-fuel vehicle so you can bet they're not using E85. Using E85 in your car or truck creates less pollution and decreases reliance on imported and domestic oil. And since ethanol is made from plant, we can always make more (not like gasoline). So if you have a flex fuel vehicle, consider fueling up with ethanol. Learn more at e85fuel.com.

The United States doesn't rely on diesel like Europe does, but there are still an awful lot of diesel cars, trucks, and tractors around. All of them can run on biodiesel, a fuel made from soy or other vegetable oils. These are renewable resources. So consider using biodiesel to fuel your vehicle. It's often cheaper, and it's certainly better for the environment.

"But where can I buy E85?" "Is there a biodiesel station in my neighborhood?" Perhaps so! Just visit afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator, select the alternative fuel you want, enter your location, and you'll get a list of the stations near you. You can find stations that offer compressed natural gas, liquefied natural gas, propane, hydrogen, and electricity.

These are just a few of the ways you can help reduce air pollution and stop global warming. Happy travels!

"There's simply no two ways about this fuel question. Gasoline is going - alcohol is coming. It's coming to stay, too, for it's in unlimited supply. And we might as well get ready for it now. All the world is waiting for a substitute to gasoline. When that is gone, there will be no more gasoline, and long before that time, the price of gasoline will have risen to a point where it will be too expensive to burn as a motor fuel. The day is not far distant when, for every one of those barrels of gasoline, a barrel of alcohol must be substituted." - Henry Ford, 1916

"The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today. But such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and the coal tar products of the present time." - Rudolf Diesel (1911)