What is the FlexFuel Vehicle Club of America’s E-Powerment project?

"Making the transition to non petroleum fuels has never been more important than at the present time. With our dependence on imported oil surpassing 65%, prices out of control, and billions of our dollars going overseas, ethanol can and is playing an important role today. Ethanol expands fuel supplies and lowers gasoline costs to consumers. Using E85 and Flexible Fuel Vehicles is an opportunity for every citizen and every driver to take part in reversing our staggering dependence on imported oil and requires no change in driving habits, personal mobility, or comfort and safety."

~ Douglas A. Durante, Executive Director of the Clean Fuels Development Coalition.

FlexFuel Vehicle (FFV) Owners Hold the Key to Unlocking America’s Renewable Energy Future

Empowerment: To give power or authority.

E-Powerment: To give consumers the power and authority to enhance their Energy, Economic, and Environmental security – and change America’s energy future – actively supporting the use of Ethanol, E85 and other alternative fuels.

Consumer knowledge and purchasing power is the most important renewable resource that will lead to real and sustainable change in transportation fuels.

The FlexFuel Vehicle Club is working in conjunction with local and state civic and business leaders, and other environmental and clean energy non-profits, to launch a consumer education and issue awareness program entitled -- E-Powerment. The E-Powerment consumer education program will show consumers how FFVs and the use of E85 address the three critical E's consumers are personally facing: Economic Development, Environmental improvement, and Energy/national Security.

The E-Powerment campaign will generate educational opportunities with local business and organizations to create partnerships with consumers, E85 fuel retailers, fleet owners, and auto dealers so they all can support the economic, environmental and energy security goals of state and encourage the local government officials with the responsibilities to achieve results in these important areas.

Roger Richardson, Secretary of the Maryland Department of Agriculture and a farmer himself, was present to celebrate today's opening. "This partnership and others like it will fuel Maryland's future," said Richardson. "Governor Martin O'Malley is committed to diversifying our fuel and energy supply with sustainable, clean, innovative and renewable resources. His strong public policy support, along with private industry expertise, is key ingredients to establishing a thriving renewable energy market."

The E-Powerment consumer education and outreach program is an opportunity for every consumer and local business that wants to help their community reduce their addition to oil get involved. This participation will pave the way to a renewable energy fueled local economy. We are asking those community leaders to help us find the FFV owners and get them to a local E85 pump.

FFV owners and other consumers will continuously be reminded of the benefits of FFVs and E85 by multiple ongoing education and outreach efforts such as the Clean Fuels Foundation’s Ethanol Minute radio show, FFV decal programs, t-shirts, the rewards program, education and research materials on the website, and charity events, and contests. The FlexFuel Vehicle Club educational materials can be made available at Malls, community trade shows, and other large public events.

FlexFuel Vehicle Club members will continuously be provided reinforcing and updated information from the Clean Fuel Development Coalition’s Clean Fuels Blog and the free FYI electronic newsletter provided by the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition that can support their efforts to accelerate the advancement of renewable fuels, build more renewable fuel filling stations, and connect with other renewable fueled vehicles in their state and help sustain growth to attract economic development opportunities in the state.

“As consumers, we have to ask -- What are my options? Do we continue to buy petroleum from unstable Middle Eastern countries where 65 percent of our current U.S. supply is imported from … or will our money be better spent by buying a product that is renewable and produced here in the U.S.? We believe that the greatest potential to displace petroleum-based fuels in the U.S. today is ethanol. The excitement of today’s station opening shows us the future where we can use our own country’s renewable resources to produce our own domestic supply of fuel. The industry is just in its infancy –we can build on the technology today to provide even greater alternative fuel benefits in the future,” -- Jamie Jamison, a Montgomery Country grain farmer and a founder of the Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board

The FlexFuel Vehicle Club has received encouragement from FFV manufacturers and dealers, fuel retailers, alternative fuel supporters, industry and government leaders interested in the continued development of ethanol and biofuels, and lots of concerned motorists. We hope you can help us evolve this program in your area.

E-powerment: Ethanol – E85 – Evolve…

The FlexFuel Vehicle Club Partners with Industry and Government to Advance E85 in Maryland

Where

Towns where there is a concentration of FFVs or existing E85 or blender pumps selling higher than 10% blends of ethanol. Examples: Des Moines/Cedar Rapids, IA – Chicago, IL – Miami, FL – Atlanta, GA – Memphis, TN – Detroit, MI – Raleigh, NC, and the DC/MD/VA metropolitan area. Find E85 in DC/MD/VA area.

E85 Station opens in Maryland With nearly 300,000 FFVs on the road and millions more coming, the Flexible Fuel Vehicle Club of America partnered with representatives from Mid Atlantic Petroleum Properties, General Motors, VeraSun, Fitzgerald AutoMall, the Maryland Grain Producers Association (MGPA), Maryland Grain Producers Utilization Board (MGPUB), the Department of Energy's Clean Cities Program, the Maryland Secretary of Agriculture, the Maryland Energy Administration, and MD Congressman Christopher Van Hollen’s office to celebrate the opening of five new E85 stations in Maryland (see Partner Press Release and invitation).

This special occasion also marked the announcement of the launch of the FlexFuel Vehicle Club’s consumer empowerment project “E-Powerment” project designed to begin reaching out to the local area’s 300,000 FFV owners. We have started working with local organizations and local auto dealers to begin locating the FFV owners and letting them know why they are so important to the development of renewable fuels and alternative fuel vehicles” said Club President Burl Haigwood (see FlexFuel Vehicle Club event press release).

E85 Station opens in Maryland After all is said and the press is gone, the FlexFuel Vehicle Club will be there to carry on. As part of the outreach effort the FlexFuel Vehicle Club contacted and invited dozens of local civic, trade, and related local business to participate in the event or become part of the ongoing Empowerment education and outreach program (see FlexFuel Vehicle Club event invitation).

FlexFuel Vehicle Club and other FFV/E85 commercials will be running on WTOP radio and WMZQ radio during the coming weeks to reach out and educate consumers.