Legislation currently on the Illinois Governor’s desk would require the establishment of a database of all Flex Fuel Vehicles (FFV) in the state to support decision-making about where to build E85 stations.

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em>“The importance of this legislation is to develop a locator so we know where all the vehicles are that can use blended fuels,” Sieben said. “Then knowing where those vehicles are located, we can determine where we need to have gas stations that sell alternative fuels.”

Impetus for the bill actually came from an Adkins Energy, Inc. board member, Ron Fluegel of Lena. Fluegel has worked with the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition to promote ethanol use. There are now fewer than 50 fuel stations with E85 pumps in Illinois, and only one of those is in the region - a station on Sandy Hollow Road in Rockford.

Although I’m not disputing that number, it does seem crazy, given the role of the midwest in corn and ethanol production.

“Many people are driving these multifuel vehicles and they don't even realize it,” Sacia said. “The cost to add the E85 pumps would be very minimal and the database would be about $11,000 - a pittance for how much it could help Illinois corn growers.”

Sacia believes the database would provide much more incentive for service stations to convert existing pumps to E85 or add new ones. It costs about $2,000 to convert a lead-free pump and between $15,000 and $20,000 to put in a new alternative fuel pump.

The current estimate of FFVs on the road is 3,000,000 -- including the one I rented here in California and could not fuel with E85.