2009 Buick Lucerne adds the ability to use a fuel that it will likely never use
For 2009, General Motors is adding four more vehicles to the existing eleven that are capable of running on E85 but more than likely never will. The latest entry is Buick's big sedan, the Lucerne. Currently the Lucerne is available with Buick's old 3.8L V-6 that isn't long for this world and the 4.6L NorthStar V-8. The flex-fuel Lucerne will use the same 3.9L V-6 installed in the Chevy Impala. Other models picking up flex-fuel capability for 2009 include the Hummer H2 and Chevy HHR. GM has committed to making half of its fleet flex-fuel capable by 2012, and now we just need some stations where people can buy ethanol and some cellulosic ethanol in mass production.
[Source: General Motors]
Buick Lucerne Joins GM FlexFuel Lineup for 2009
Ability to Use Cleaner, Renewable Fuel Offered at No Cost to Customer
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - The 2009 Buick Lucerne sedan will join General Motors' industry-leading lineup of flex-fuel vehicles that can run on either ordinary gasoline or E85, or any combination of the two, GM Vice President of Environment, Energy and Safety Policy Beth Lowery said Thursday.
The Lucerne, the first flex-fuel capable Buick passenger car, will be among more than 15 GM models with flex-fuel capability in 2009, up from 11 offerings this year.
"We continue to believe that ethanol used in high blends like E85 offers the best near-term solution to offset increased oil demand," Lowery said at the Department of Energy's Biomass Conference. "There are more than 7 million vehicles today that can use E85. The key is to increase the number of stations that offer the fuel."
E85 ethanol (a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline), is a cleaner-burning alternative fuel that can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by as much as 23 percent compared with gasoline.
GM has committed to make half of its US production flex-fuel capable by 2012 providing the infrastructure is in place. GM built more than 1 million flex-fuel capable vehicles worldwide last year. It is committed to helping to speed cellulosic ethanol to market via its partnership with Coskata Inc., which can make ethanol from a range of renewable sources.
For Buick, the FlexFuel-capable Lucerne is a no-cost option for consumers.
"Using E85 fuel is an easy choice for consumers to make a difference for the environment and to reduce oil dependence," said Buick-Pontiac-GMC General Manager Jim Bunnell.
The Lucerne is the latest vehicle announced for the 2009 GM FlexFuel lineup. The four-cylinder Chevrolet HHR was revealed at the Chicago Auto Show in February and the Hummer H2 and H2 SUT were announced in March as part of the opening of the first public E85 pumps owned by a dealership, Classic Chevrolet-Hummer in Grapevine, Texas.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Mike Z 9:25AM (4/18/2008)
Hey Now! for cellulosic ethanol it's a chicken and egg problem. Be happy they have at least one part of it.
I'm sure you would post a similar story about 'another cellulosic ethanol plant opens, too bad no cars actually burn it'
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BoomBoom 9:31AM (4/18/2008)
Good to see GM putting effort into this.... just in time for a few more studies to show that E85 from corn is a giant waste. We should take bets on which happens first, cellulosic ethanol or the Volt's mass production.
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Mike Z 9:36AM (4/18/2008)
What's wrong with both happening at the same time?
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Jim 10:08AM (4/18/2008)
Just more evidence that General Motors is still avoiding real progress - the development of highway capable electric vehicles.
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rar 10:40AM (4/18/2008)
Jim, I guess their work on the Volt does not count? What other major manufacture is producing a high speed electric car?
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Kardax 10:52AM (4/18/2008)
As for finding E85, it's a highly regional problem. Here in the midwest, there are hundreds of gas stations that sell E85. I imagine that most of the E85-capable vehicles will be sold here, for that reason.
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bubba-Jbob 11:06AM (4/18/2008)
Hey I'm just an average Joe, with a big interest in alt. energy who wants more options. I am no authority on it. I want to be able to use e85 whether it's from corn or biomass (strongly preffered over corn in my book), I want to have the option. Where I live (WI) e-85 is everywhere, so I now have more options for my next veh. purchase. So I say keep doing it GM
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BlackbirdHighway 11:09AM (4/18/2008)
Alternative fuel locator:
http://afdcmap2.nrel.gov/locator/
There doesn't seem to be any public hydrogen stations within 1000 miles of where I live, but there are a few E85 within 50 miles, and a couple within 25.
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KarenRei 12:19PM (4/18/2008)
"What other major manufacture is producing a high speed electric car?"
Depends on what you call "high speed", but if you mean "highway capable", Mitsubishi's fleet testing their MiEV, Subaru is fleet testing their R1e, Nissan-Renault is working on a bunch of designs for the Project Better Place deal, Toyota is working on the plug-in Prius, and so on. Most major manufacturers are working on EVs or PHEVs.
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steven 11:21AM (4/18/2008)
I think you're forgetting that GM is still a business that would some day like to make a profit again and the fact is there are various federal and/or state gov't incentives for manufacturers to produce these vehicles. If it does not cost more to implementing a technology than the value gov't incentive provides, be it cash or a MPG or two in CAFE exemption, why would a manufactures not push the product out the door?
I know if your tax accountant could find legal ways to get you more money back on your taxes, you'd be all for it, even if your neighbor thinks you make too much money already.
The fact that some E85 sources may not make the best sense goes hand in hand with the folks that brought us the incentives.
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Mike Z 11:21AM (4/18/2008)
However, considering that it is a Buick fossil fuels seem more appropriate when you consider that the average driver is a fossil themselves.
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Dave 11:43AM (4/18/2008)
E-85 is a stepping stone. We will be using internal combustion for a long time yet to come. E85 is cleaner and renewable. If you want E-85 go to the stations that sell it and buy it. The leading problem reported by fuel suppliers carrying E-85 is lack of demand.
I like many think electric is the way to get where we want to be but it will be a decade before reliable electric powered cards are available via the mainstream. Until then...
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tankd0g 12:49PM (4/18/2008)
E85 is just a CAFE loophole to enable GM to still sell their land yaghts at a competitive price. Buying one of these cars is only enabling GM to sell gas guzzlers.
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Angelo 1:13PM (4/18/2008)
Sam Abuelsamid should just go get a job writing for The Onion. Every single thing he posts is completely biased.
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leonard 1:35PM (4/18/2008)
I can't believe so many folks haven't heard of GM's involvement with Coskata, a start-up ethanol firm that claims it can make ethanol for $1 per gallon. Just google 'Coskata' and you'll find plenty of reading.
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steven 3:30PM (4/18/2008)
@15: You forgot to Google "Tesla Begin Production of Vehicles to be Delivered to Actual Customers " and "Brooklyn Bridge with Adjacent Swamp Land For Sale". But it was a good try....
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Wildgoosechase73 4:42PM (4/18/2008)
The lack of E85 is a coastal state problem thant the middle states or "real America" doesn't have. It is the typical urban biased myopic view that we see in the media that ignores the majority of States.
Yes, E85 has a distribution problem in the states that are not supporting it. They said the same thing about cell phones a few years ago as well.
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letthemeat biomass 11:18PM (4/18/2008)
Ethanol: fuel for starvation.
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letthemeat biomass 11:24PM (4/18/2008)
Ethanol is a gimmick to get farm votes. The EU, one of the biggest supporters of it, has come to this conclusion. Go back to growing FOOD, fly-overs.
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bubba-Jbob 8:46AM (4/19/2008)
Corn is not the best thing to use for ethanol, everyone knows this. Cellulosic will make ethanol more viable. But there is absolutely no merit to the argument that biofuels cause andy sort of rise in food prices. At least they are in no way responsible for the CURRENT spike in food prices. The current rise in the prices Food, detergent, and everything else is a direct result of TRANSPORTATION in general, which is still 95% petroleum based. Petroleum prices caused the current inflationary climate in the food market, not ethanol or Biodiesel. Could ethanol in the future cause food prices to rise...perhaps, but it ain't the issue now folks. And it is likely that corn ethanol will be gone soon, and will never be a soultuin for our addiction to petrolueum, just a small part of it.
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