From Fbodfather: Good afternoon, Camaro Comrades, Firebird Friends, and Corvette Cous

[GTAHVIT]

Good afternoon, Camaro Comrades, Firebird Friends, and Corvette Cousins.........


One watches the news in horror these days -- very few "good" stories or news -- and lots of bad news.


However --

.........there IS some good news out there as well!

(...........interestingly it involves GM -- one must ask: Why haven't we heard more about this from mainstream media????)

Many of you know that GM has invested billions in the search for alternate fuels - to reduce our dependency on oil --regardless of where it may come from.
We are the leader in Hydrogen Fuel Cells - -
We are leading in Electric power with the Chevy Volt and Cadillac Converj.
We have started at the "top" with Hybrids -- meaning Transit Buses and Pickups and SUVS (not everyone can use a compact sedan - there ARE legitimate needs for a pickup - or a people-mover SUV...) rather than at the bottom with subcompacts and compacts...........and when you think about it - -it DOES make a very positive impact -- perhaps a lot more than 'small' Hybrids........and we offer over three times the number of Hybrids that Toyota offers......

We are unquestionably the leader in E85 capable vehicles. E85 is the quickest way to reduce our dependency on petroleum -- because E85 is 85% Ethanol (a RENEWABLE resource) and 15% gasoline.

Chevrolet Division, alone, offers the following vehicles that are E85 -- or "FlexFuel" compatible: Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban, Avalanche, HHR, Impala, Express Van -- and there are now over 3.5 million GM cars and trucks on the road that will burn E85............. Additionally, the Buick Lucerne, Cadillac Escalade (incl ESV and EXT) GMC Sierra, Yukon, and Yukon XL all offer powertrains that will run on E85 .....and many of these GM vehicles also feature "Active Fuel Management" -- meaning cylinder de-activation......

One of the problems facing the industry is: How do you make E85 economically and how do you make it from industrial and household waste?
Well -- GM invested heavily in two companies -- Mascoma being one of them.... to work thru issues -- and there is GREAT news as you'll see below. Mascoma has found the process that we've been looking for...........


On another subject:

, -- many of you wonder "what went wrong with the American Auto Industry?" -- and "Does GM REALLY matter?" -- and thus, I strongly recommend a book that you'll find very informative and telling.......

The name of the book is: "WHY GM MATTERS" by William J. Holstein.

Do I agree with everything he says? No........but I must tell you that he -- in my opinion -- knocks it out of the ballpark -- GREAT READ -- and I'm on my third reading of it -- because of the nuances that I missed the first two times!


Meanwhile -- the article on Mascoma is below --

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Read her entire post here: http://fastlane.gmblogs.com/
Mascoma Proves Its Consolidated Bioprocessing for Ethanol Really Works
By Candace Wheeler
GM Technical Fellow, Global Energy Systems
The complex process of making ethanol from cellulosic materials like wood chips and corn stalks just became a whole lot easier and less expensive.
One of our strategic cellulosic ethanol partners, Mascoma Corp., has found the holy grail of biofuels production, a process known as consolidated bioprocessing, successfully works in the laboratory. This is a big deal because it allows ethanol production from non-food based materials in a simplified “one pot” process. This has long been viewed as the ultimate low-cost solution for biochemical production of ethanol. Until now, however, this process has been more theoretical than real.
Making ethanol from cellulosic biomass traditionally requires first breaking down the cellulose and hemicellulose materials into five and six carbon sugars, a process referred to as hydrolysis. Then the sugars are fermented into ethanol. Each step occurs at different temperatures and process conditions, and requires the addition of expensive enzymes.
Mascoma has demonstrated that it is possible, using its specially developed strain of yeast, to produce the required enzymes, hydrolyze the cellulose to sugars, and to ferment both the C5 and C6 sugars to ethanol in a single step. This process significantly reduces the operating costs, improves the throughput of the process, and lowers the capital costs required to build the plant.
We thought CBP - though unproven - was a major advantage when we decided to invest in Mascoma last year and accepted its invitation to join its Scientific Advisory Board. Mascoma deserves congratulations for its revolutionary breakthrough, which brings next-generation ethanol one-step closer to commercialization and to providing a cost-effective, renewable source of ethanol for the growing number of flex-fuel vehicles - more than 3.5 million and counting - that we manufacture.
We continue to believe that biofuels, like the next-generation ethanol Mascoma is working on, are the most significant near-term solution to offset rising vehicle energy demands and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Together with the Department of Energy’s proposed investments announced this week, the next-generation of biofuels seems a lot closer to reality.
I look forward to your comments.

[Moose]

This needs to be reported by the mainstream media!

It'd go a long way in changing the publics perception of GM.

Thank you Scott.

Keep at it GM! "They" will have to recognize the GREAT strides GM has made at some point.

[TJ91]

Nice!
I wonder if they will launch an E85 burning Camaro soon

[rolnslo]

Sweet! Now why isn't the Camaro available with an E85 option?

[tribone]

Thanks Fbodfather. Good read.

[BigRigMike]

Originally Posted by Moose

It'd go a long way in changing the publics perception of GM.

And this should help change the perception of ethanol because it shows that it can economically be made from non food sources.

[ssump29]

yeah I hate how all these idiots say stop making SUV's and big trucks because they aren't needed. All I have to say to all the folks is visit the midwest in late fall and winter seasons and tell me what good those damn small compact cars are gonna do for us. If we had to all drive those in the winter, well none of us would make it to work. I for one will tell you Michigan winters are mean and if you ain't got a mid size to large automobile things are really tough.

[LabRat]

Any program, that makes fuel from food, is destined to fail.

Period.

LabRat

[VenomHP]

sounds good!

[rolnslo]

Originally Posted by LabRat

Any program, that makes fuel from food, is destined to fail.

Period.

LabRat

Did you even read the post without this bias? I don't know about you but I don't eat wood chips and corn stalks, nor do I know anyone that does.

[BigRigMike]

Originally Posted by LabRat

Any program, that makes fuel from food, is destined to fail.

Period.

LabRat

As quoted from the article:

"This is a big deal because it allows ethanol production from non-food based materials in a simplified “one pot” process"

[Camaro_Corvette]

Originally Posted by Moose

This needs to be reported by the mainstream media!

It'd go a long way in changing the publics perception of GM.

Thank you Scott.

Keep at it GM! "They" will have to recognize the GREAT strides GM has made at some point.

Yeah, and the mainstream media will tell everybody the news, then throw something bad right after it so it makes GM look bad again. I'm really sick and tired of the media.

[Andro]

Good info.

[MerF]

Originally Posted by LabRat

Any program, that makes fuel from food, is destined to fail.

Period.

LabRat

Fail.