WASHINGTON, D.C. --- The U.S. Department of Energy has selected a collaborative team comprised of CALSTART, General Motors, Pacific Ethanol, CleanFUEL USA, Community Environmental Council, and others to receive grant funding to jump-start a major new alternative-fuel network in California. The grant would provide partial funding to build 15 publicly accessible E-85 ethanol stations in California. There is currently only one public station that sells E-85 ethanol (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline) in California, despite the fact the state has more than 300,000 flex-fuel cars capable of running on the fuel. With this initial round of funding, 10 E-85 refueling networks will be constructed at existing gas stations owned by United Oil in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area. With four pumps going to stations along the Highway 101 route from Ventura to San Luis Obispo County, motorists will be able to refill in that region. A final E-85 pump will be installed in the San Joaquin Valley alongside Highway 99 in Tulare. CALSTART and its fellow team members will begin work immediately and plan to have the first station operational within five to six months.