For the foreseeable future, every flex-fuel car sold will increase America's dependence on oil.
Car companies in America get a fuel-economy credit for every flex-fuel vehicle they sell.
And as NPR's Martin Kaste reports, the flex-fuel program has backfired and is actually increasing oil consumption.
These so-called flex-fuel vehicles can burn either gasoline or ethanol or almost any mixture of the two.
The car, which can run on either 100% ethanol or flex-fuel, went on sale in November.
In Brazil, 90% of new cars sold are so-called flex-fuel vehicles that run on either gas or ethanol.
Not a single gas station sells it to the general public, even though Davidson's flex-fuel Taurus is hardly alone.
Brady, who runs the region's alternative fuels outreach program, says he often gets calls from flex-fuel car owners like Davidson.
When Seattle resident Elisa Davidson(ph) first bought her 2000 Ford Taurus, she had no idea it was a so-called flex-fuel car.
This news comes as a shock to flex-fuel Taurus owner Elisa Davidson.
We'll encourage the development and use of flex-fuel, hybrid and electric automobiles.
There are an estimated five million flex-fuel vehicles but only about 500 E85 fuel stations and most of those in the corn belt.
The government rates the fuel economy of flex-fuel vehicles at about 165% the miles per gallon (mpg) they would get on straight petrol.
Most Brazilian cars can run on a mixture of ethanol and petrol, thanks in part to the flex-fuel engine, developed in the country.
Under the law, if automakers build flex-fuel cars, they get special permission to make the rest of their cars a little less fuel efficient.
Ethanol output has more than doubled since 2002, thanks to the development of flex-fuel engines for cars, capable of running on either petrol or ethanol indistinguishably.
As with all Continentals, the GTC and GTC Speed are flex-fuel capable, which means they can run on gasoline, E-85 biofuel, or a mix of the two.
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Also, some Brazilian states (3 of 27) charge a lower VAT (Value Added Tax) on hydrous ethanol sold to Flex-Fuel cars compared to VAT imposed on gasoline at the pump.
As a venture capitalist, I would not have invested in cellulosic without corn ethanol's partial alleviation of the risks of creating a market, creating distribution terminals, E85 pumps and starting our flex-fuel fleet.
Bentley's chief executive Franz-Josef Paefgen, over lunch with journalists in London recently, insisted that "Bentley's engines will be 40% more efficient in four years, and all the cars will be prepared for flex-fuel".
The flex-fuel engine--prized because it uses a renewable resource that reduces dependency on traditional gasoline--on the Cherokee was even worse: three out of 10 and one out of 10 for the air pollution and gas emissions, respectively.
When life-cycle costs are compared, natural gas is currently a more economical decision than flex-fuel powered vehicles, although both are more expensive than gasoline at current figures (keep in mind that these dynamics could change due to oil shocks or increased demand for traditional fuels both real risks).
One frequent question deals with Compressed Natural Gas or Liquified Natural Gas vehicles (Natural Gas Vehicles or NGV) in comparison with tri-Flex Fuel vehicles ( Gasoline, Ethanol, Methanol) vehicles.
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On another energy-security front, Woolsey called on automakers to produce fuel-flex cars and for gas stations to offer motorists the choice of gasoline or methanol a liquid fuel made from natural gas to free American transportation from dependence on OPEC.
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