New Breed of E85 Fuel to Debut at Sebring
In addition to marking the start of the 2008 American Le Mans Series calendar, the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring on March 15 will also mark the first time a racing team (or two) will run on cellulosic-based E85 ethanol.
Cellulosic ethanol is made using biomass from wood waste, switchgrass, or other renewable sources, as opposed to the more commonly used grain-based ethanol. The main advantage of the cellulosic variety of ethanol is that it yields more energy (roughly 80 percent more energy), than it takes to grow and process it.
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That advantage is set to be put on worldwide display, when the ALMS teams from Corvette Racing and Aston Martin racing fuel up with the blend during the Sebring endurance race. As ALMA president and CEO Scott Atherton put it “This is a groundbreaking achievement not only in motorsports, but also in the drive to relevant fuel technologies.
Comments
Russ Bellinis
Great idea. Make fuel out of something that is normally wasted rather than using food to make fuel with! I understand that the amount of grain being used to make E85 has resulted in food price jumps because the farmer can get more for corn used to make ethanol than he can for corn raised for food.
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