Higher costs driving motorists to alternative-fuel vehicles

THE DAILY IBERIAN

BATON ROUGE - Automakers recently celebrated National Alternative Fuel Autos Month by releasing state specific data of the sales of alternative fuel autos. The R.L. Polk and Co. figures show more than 190,000 alternative fuel autos on Louisiana's roads in 2006, an increase of 28 percent from 2005 when there were more than 149,000 such autos on the state's roads.

There are 2,633 hybrid electric, 92,631 ethanol-capable E-85s and 95,171 clean diesel autos on Louisiana's roads.

Although ethanol is usually made from corn, researchers at Louisiana State University are studying how to convert local crops, like sugar cane, into ethanol. And, six biofuel projects are under way in Louisiana, including three ethanol and three biodiesel plants.

"I am not surprised that there is a 28 percent increase in alternative-fuel vehicles in Louisiana," said David Groner, co-owner of Sustainable Fuels LLC, a biodiesel production plant scheduled to set up shop at the Port of West St. Mary by the end of the year. "As gasoline prices continue to increase consumers will look harder at competitively priced alternative fuel vehicles."

Groner and his partner, fellow New Iberian Mike Valls, said they think biodiesel is one of the choices that more and more consumers will make as the fuel becomes available and auto manufacturers begin offering more diesel engine passenger cars to the public.

"Already in Europe the diesel engine is outselling gasoline engines in many countries due to the use of biodiesel," Groner said.

"The new diesel engines being manufactured today are much more powerful and are not the noisy, black-smoke-producing engines of the past. Diesel gets superior miles per gallon as it is a much more efficient engine than a gasoline engine."

Groner said higher fuel prices are making consumers to consider other options to vehicles with traditional gasoline engines. He said it's a choice between the rising costs of foreign oil and alternative fuels made in the United States.

The Polk sales figures also reveal that an unprecedented 1.5 million alternative fuel autos were sold in the United States in 2006, surpassing automakers' sales expectations by 50 percent. The 2006 sales bring the total number of alternative-fuel autos on the nation's roads to 10.5 million.

"We are pleased to see that the sales of alternative-fuel autos are rising," Dave McCurdy, president of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said in a statement. "The auto industry is an important part of the dynamic high-tech sector and auto manufacturers are committed to selling vehicles that can run on something other than just gasoline."

Consumer awareness thorugh government incentives to automakers and more availability are helping the increase in use of alternative fuels.

Manufacturers offer 60 models of alternative-fuel vehicles for sale including hybrid electric, ethanol-capable E-85 and clean diesel, up from just 12 models for sale in 2000. A complete list of available autos can be found at www.DiscoverAlternatives.com.

Automakers are also working with the energy industry to develop a range of alternative fuels capable of sustaining mobility while ensuring more secure energy sources.

Alliance members have forged more than 25 partnerships, joint ventures or research and development projects with energy producers to expand the fueling infrastructure for fuels such as ethanol, biomass and hydrogen.