Chrysler Group and E85
From the firehouse...

Lost in the "yellow" fog of an aggressive advertising campaign has been this important point. The Chrysler Group has been thinking clearly and taking a leadership role in advancing the use of E85, or ethanol fuels, for a long time.

On Jan. 23, just a few weeks ago, Chrysler Group President and CEO Tom LaSorda announced to the Detroit Economic Club that nearly one in four of our vehicles, about a half-million a year, will be Flex Fuel, meaning they'll be capable of running on either gasoline or E85, beginning the 2008 model year.

Now if all of those vehicles ran on E85, it would save 250 million gallons of petroleum a year. That's about the same amount of oil we import from Libya each year.

This shouldn't be a surprising development, because the Chrysler Group has been committed to promoting the use of E85 for the last 7 years. Since 1998, we've marketed nearly 1.5 million Flexible Fuel Vehicles—all capable of using E85.

For the 2006 model year we sell FFV versions of:

* Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck with a 4.7 liter engine
* Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town & Country minivans with 3.3 liter engines
* Dodge Stratus and Chrysler Sebring sedans with 2.7 liter engines
* Dodge Durango with a 4.7 liter engine

The Challenges:

Ethanol fuels reduce our dependence on oil, reduce carbon dioxide emissions, are produced from renewable sources and contribute to the American economy. Still, E85 is more expensive than gasoline and less fuel efficient, because E85 doesn't contain the same amount of energy as gasoline, diesel or biodiesel. At this time, about 600 E85 stations exist in the U.S. compared to around 170,000 gasoline and diesel stations, which means the energy companies need to be more involved. Lastly, the emission requirements for E85 flex-fuel vehicles are very strict in some states, but overall emissions of E85 are comparable to with gasoline.

That said, E85 may not be as efficient or cost effective as gasoline and not as widely available right now, but that's why we support efforts to get everyone on board in developing a fuel that could provide a real boost to our national economy.

One important way we differ from General Motors and Ford is that we're not in the filling station business. We're making the chicken, not the egg ... or is it the other way around?

We are fully supportive of the efforts President Bush announced recently to spur research into the production of ethanol from biomass sources other than corn or sugar cane. This so-called cellulosic ethanol production, coupled with expanded availability of E85 compatible flex-fuel vehicles, offers a real opportunity for significant reductions in petroleum consumption and well to wheel CO2 emissions, but let's not get away from what has been factual for many years.

I'm sure there will be many more stories written on this subject as development of E85 and the vehicles it powers continues.

We'll be happy to provide you with all the information you need on the Chrysler Group's efforts and initiatives.

 

Well that really sounds great about ethanol. What are some of the drawbacks? We know that it picks up water and eventually it breaks down in the gas solution and goes to the bottom of the tank and will cause hard starting and engine miss. We know that ethanol is also a solvent and is corrosive with rubber, gaskets, aluminum, metals, etc.
Will Chrsyler really cover the use of these different levels of ethanol in their warranties? How about the catalytic converter - will that be covered? Their present warranties do not cover it. What about older cars? The new approved warning sign for E-15 states "Use only in 2001 and newer passenger vehicles." I also read where the EPA states that flex fuel vehicles will get mpg up to 20-25% less than those using E-10.

 

The original post is from 2006. Things have changed......