Twitter headlines« Ford Begins Production of New Fiesta; First of New Global Small Cars | Main | Ford Confirms Production of Lincoln MKT with EcoBoost Engine »
Report: Suzuki To Launch E100 Cars In Brazil and US in 2010
15 August 2008
The Nikkei reports that Suzuki Motor Corp. plans to develop flex-fuel cars that can run completely on 100% ethanol (E100) and launch them in South America and the US in around 2010.
As a first step, the company plans to begin selling in Brazil and elsewhere a passenger car fueled by a gasoline-bioethanol mixture that is 25% bioethanol by the end of March.
Suzuki has decided to accelerate development of ethanol cars because demand for them is expected to grow worldwide, with various efforts underway to develop technologies for producing bioethanol from non-food crops, such as rice straw.
Suzuki is also reportedly considering a hybrid option for a 3-liter mid-size car by leveraging its joint development efforts with GM, as well as launching its diesels, which it sells in India and Europe, in Japan.
August 15, 2008 in Brief | Permalink | Comments (4) | TrackBack (0)
Comments
Posted by: stoppro gresh | August 15, 2008 at 10:16 AM
They should also be required to make sure that it works with methanol, ethanol and gasoline. Ethanol cars have been built for decades what is the problem that this company must solve that other companies have done.
Methanol or Ethanol have been required for race cars for some races for decades. Coal to methanol or natural gas to methanol should become the US fuel direction, even if you can only go half the distance with current tanks. Methanol is the cheapest and easiest fuel to make from coal or biomass or natural gas. With the appropriate cheap conversion kit, all existing cars could get most or all their fuel needs from methanol. ..HG..
Posted by: Henry Gibson | August 15, 2008 at 04:47 PM
If cellulose alcohols become commonly available, it would be good to have more efficient FFVs on the roads in the U.S. I would make all cars sold in the U.S. FFV for the sake of having enough vehicles to run the fuel, if and when we get there.
Posted by: sjc | August 17, 2008 at 11:17 AM
Right sjc. I tend to think this is coming as E85 expands and undersells the cost of gasoline. Also, people are starting to get the idea that homegrown/made fuels is the "right" thing to do. Which means that the minimal cost to manufacturers to build flex ICEs will become acceptable.
Posted by: Sulleny | August 17, 2008 at 12:27 PM
TrackBack
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://www.typepad.com/services/trackback/6a00d8341c4fbe53ef00e553e7caaf8833
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Report: Suzuki To Launch E100 Cars In Brazil and US in 2010:
Great. Millions more kids will starve to death in South America.