Kroger becomes the first national retailer to offer VE85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline for Flexible Fuel Vehicles.
"We are pleased to be partnering with Kroger to bring VE85 to more than 20 different locations," says Bill Honnef, VeraSun senior vice president- strategic initiatives. "We recognize Kroger for their leadership in becoming the first national retailer to offer VE85. This marks a significant step in E85 becoming a mainstream fuel option for FlexFuel Vehicle owners throughout our country."
"The opportunity to offer VE85 at various Kroger locations is an important initiative in meeting our country's growing demand for renewable fuels," says Geoffrey Covert, president of Kroger's Cincinnati/Dayton division. "As the number of Flexible Fuel Vehicles continues to increase, partnering with VeraSun allows us to offer our customers convenient fueling options."
As a result of the VeraSun and Kroger partnership, Enterprise Rent-A-Car will designate four additional rental locations as VE85/FlexFuel branches, including one of its primary locations in Cincinnati on Glenway Ave. Enterprise and VeraSun recently announced a partnership whereby Enterprise committed to concentrate FFVs around select VE85 fueling locations. A quarter of the rental fleet in these new locations will be GM FlexFuel Vehicles. Enterprise will provide ethanol and FFV education materials and maps to Kroger's Ohio VE85 fueling locations inside each automobile.
"Consumers are becoming more interested in experiencing the benefits of fueling with higher blends of ethanol like VE85," says Honnef. "By harnessing the drive and commitment of world-class companies like Kroger, Enterprise and General Motors, we are making significant strides in expanding the availability VE85 and improving consumer education."
The Argonne National Laboratory reported that the use of 4.9 billion gallons of ethanol in the United States during 2006 resulted in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by approximately eight million tons, while the use of E85 alone contributes to a 20 percent reduction in ozone-forming pollution and a 30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.