‘Ethanol’ is exactly what they call it and if you paid any attention during all those long organic chemistry classes in school then you would be very familiar with the second member in the functional group of Alcohols. I get the point, you want me to do away with the chemistry class and just go ahead with the ‘car talk’. Well, then here is the deal. All the cars in this season’s races in the IndyCar series will be powered by Ethanol supplied to the organizers by LifeLine Foods. So all the races scheduled for this season will be a lot cleaner than in the past. Well, at least in the exhaust department that is.
LifeLine Foods has joined forces with the IndyCar Series for the 2008 season as the official supplier of the 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol used in all IndyCar Series cars. The St. Joseph, Mo. facility was contracted by the Ethanol Promotion and Information Council (EPIC) to supply approximately 120,000 gallons of the fuel to the IndyCar Series. This is a major initiative by the authorities to not only promote biofuel but also make sure that people do not hold the view that it is inferior to normal fossil fuel used in vehicles.
By integrating biofuel with the most popular racing series in America, they have made sure that the message about green and clean fuel goes out loud and clear to one and all. This is especially a good move since this makes sure that the importance and the practical utility of biofuel (Ethanol) reaches the young, who probably will have to make the choice in the future. LifeLine Foods is a firm that uses corn to produce food and fuel. One portion of the kernel is processed and marketed to the food industry while the remainder of the corn kernel is used for producing Ethanol. Utilizing a bran energy recovery system, total plant energy needs will be reduced by approximately 50 percent. This ensures that we do not put undue pressure on the agriculture sector.
The fuel from the facility will be shipped to Indianapolis and stored at Superior Solvents and Chemicals, which can store up to 30,000 gallons. Superior’s highly trained staff of chemists and technicians will be responsible for loading all tanker trailers and distributing the fuel to each IndyCar Series Open Test and race event during the season. This is a wonderful development as it involves a very smooth transition of Indy cars from normal fuel to Ethanol in matter of just 3 seasons. One doubts if a sport like F1 with its amazingly competitive environment would ever go forward with the same idea. But for now, this step forward ensures establish biofuel as a viable fuel alternative for the future.
