Twin Cities Outlet To Offer Cheaper Alternative Fuel

For a few hours on Friday, Oct. 27, the Holiday Stationstore at 6921 Pine Arbor Drive inCottage Grove, Minn. will offer drivers a holiday from higher fuel costs.

Twin Cities motorists with flexible fuel vehicles -- cars, trucks and vans that can use either gasoline or E85, a cleaner-burning alternative fuel -- can purchase up to 30 gallons of E85 at the station from 2 p.m. until 5 p.m. for just 99 cents a gallon.

There are an estimated 5 million flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) currently on the road today.

"Not long ago, special prices on E85 were more common in the TwinCities metro area, as we tried to raise consumer awareness of cleaneralternatives to gasoline," says Bob Moffitt, communications director forthe American Lung Association of Minnesota. "The tactic must have worked,because sales from the 300 or so stations that offer E85 in Minnesota haveshattered all national records this year, and are on track to exceed 20million gallons in 2006."

E85 is a blend of up to 85 percent ethanol and just 15 percent gasoline. Like gasoline, the price of E85 varies, but in Minnesota the high-octane fuel is typically less expensive than 87-octane regular gasoline.

The American Lung Association of Minnesota maintains a website that lists all of the vehicles that can use E85 and the locations of all stations in the upper Midwest that sell the largely renewable fuel:http://www.cleanairchoice.org/

The sales event is sponsored by the Minnesota Corn Growers Association, the Minnesota Coalition for Ethanol, the Minnesota Department of Agriculture, the Minnesota Department of Commerce, AgStar Financial Services, GeneralMotors Corp., the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition, the U.S.Department of Energy Clean Cities program and the American Lung Association of Minnesota.