Caltex Australia to sell E85 at 100 outlets

Caltex Australia has committed to installing E85 ethanol pumps at 100 service stations in Australia in a little over 12 months, becoming the first mainstream fuel company to make a move on E85. The E85 fuel, which contains 70-85% ethanol, is being already used in V8 Supercar racing as part of a green push is made to a world standard. The arrival of E85 at Caltex pumps is not the end of the ethanol story, because GM Holden and Caltex are also part of a six-way consortium — with Veolia, Mitsui, Coskata and the Victorian Government — that plans to begin making ethanol fuel in Australia from rubbish. The Australian deal is likely to see a plant built in Victoria to manufacture second-generation ethanol fuel, a move that overcomes the “food for fuel” debate in the U.S., where corn stock is the base material for E85. A growing number of ethanol-focused new cars, including the Series II update of the Holden Commodore has sparked an E85 push in Australia. (June 12, 2010)