GM, Retailer Join to Provide E85 Pumps in Indiana

General Motors Corp. says it is partnering with Midwest retailer Meijer Inc. to provide up to 20 E85 fueling stations throughout Indiana over the coming months.

The latest E85 venture is the second tie-up between GM and the Michigan-based, 170-store retail chain.

The auto maker announced last month is was launching a collaborative effort with Cleanfuel U.S.A. and Meijer aimed at establishing some 20 new E85 stations in southeast Michigan to accommodate the growing number of flexible-fuel vehicles (FFVs) on the road.

GM is in the midst of a national campaign to boost the use and awareness of E85 fuel in the U.S. through its “Live Green Go Yellow” advertising campaign.

The company says it already has nearly 2 million FFVs on the road, which can run on any combination of gasoline and/or E85 – a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.

The auto maker also is working with other gas retailers to offer more E85 fueling in California, Illinois, Minnesota, South Dakota and Texas that will add up to 130 new locations by the end of the year.

U.S. Secretary of Energy Samuel Bodman was on hand for the opening of an E85 pump in Indiana.

“Flexible-fuel vehicles and E85 are proven options for substituting a clean-burning, renewable fuel for gasoline, and I believe it should be our common goal that E85 become a nationwide fueling option,” he says.