SCOTTSDALE, AZ — General Motors announced that it would provide E-85-capable Chevrolet Avalanches for use in 28 member states of the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition (GEC), a bipartisan group of governors devoted to the promotion and increased use of ethanol. The announcement was made February 7 at the Renewable Fuels Association’s annual National Ethanol Conference. GM will begin delivering the ethanol-capable vehicles to recipients beginning in March 2005. As part of a campaign by GM and the GEC to promote the use and benefits of ethanol, recipients of the trucks will showcase the vehicles in various ways and events throughout the year. This collaborative effort is designed to increase awareness of ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, and to promote the increased use of E-85 as a renewable, alternative transportation fuel that is able to meet the demands of today’s drivers. GM is currently the largest producer of E-85 flexible fuel vehicles in the United States, with over 1.1 million vehicles on the road and with vehicles available for sale in all 50 states. GM approved the use of 10 percent ethanol blended gasoline in all GM products more than 20 years ago, and produces almost 5 million E-10-capable vehicles annually. GM will provide E-85-capable Chevrolet Avalanches for use in the following GEC member states: Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. Ethanol delivers similar performance as regular gasoline and is a renewable, domestically produced fuel that reduces sulfur and aromatic hydrocarbons for improved exhaust emissions performance. E-85, a blend of 85 percent ethyl alcohol and 15 percent gasoline, is produced from the starch in agricultural products, primarily domestically produced corn. Growing corn actually removes CO2 from the atmosphere so that the total effect of using ethanol made from corn is a significant reduction in greenhouse emissions when compared to the use of petroleum-based fuels. GM’s E-85 vehicles are capable of operating on either gasoline or 85 percent ethanol without any additional modifications, aftermarket conversions, or cumbersome switches for vehicle users. Currently, there are more than 300 public E-85 fueling sites in operation across the nation.