Drivers welcome Inland area's first ethanol pump

PERRIS - Drivers greeted the grand opening of the Inland Empire's first ethanol pump with smiles, relief and a little topping off Wednesday afternoon.

"I've been waiting the last two years for this!" Kim Kresin exclaimed as she rolled up to the yellow-handled pump at Joe's 76 gas station at Cajalco Expressway and Harvill Avenue just off Interstate 215. The Perris pump supplies E85, a fuel that's 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Besides the roominess, Kresin said she bought her 2007 Chevy Suburban because it's a flex-fuel vehicle, meaning it can run on either ethanol or gasoline. Like other drivers, Kresin wants to switch over to ethanol because the corn-based fuel pollutes less, spewing up to 29 percent fewer carbon emissions than regular gas.

She and others also believe using ethanol promotes America's energy independence since corn is grown domestically.

In the next few years Pearson Fuels, a San-Diego based ethanol wholesaler, plans to build 55 ethanol stations statewide, 40 in Southern California, said general manager and co-owner Mike Lewis. The company has received about $11 million in federal and state stimulus funds for the projects.

The company plans to open a station in Beaumont, at Golf Course Drive and Oak Valley Village Circle, by year's end.

More than 300,000 ethanol-compatible cars pace California's roadways and there are 38 E85 stations statewide, according to the California Ethanol Vehicle Coalition. However, most of the nation's nearly 2,000 E85 stations are concentrated in the Midwest, where the bulk of the nation's corn is grown.

Though the interest in various alternative fuels is high, Lewis said his company is investing in ethanol because he believes it's the only economically viable alternative to gas right now.

"You cannot buy an electric car for less than $100,000. Hydrogen, algae or solar cars are expensive and hard to find," Lewis said. "But there are thousands and thousands of ethanol cars on the road right now."

There are about 50 flex-fuel makes and models now on the 2010 car market, according to Growth Energy, a group specializing in ethanol research.

Lewis said the demand for ethanol fluctuates with the price of gasoline. If gas is cheaper, the majority of drivers won't switch over to ethanol, he said.

"The bottom line is right now there's a medium demand for ethanol, but the price of ethanol is hovering right around the price of gasoline," Lewis said.

For the pump's grand opening, Joes' 76 sold E85 at 85 cents a gallon Wednesday. Currently ethanol costs $2.69 to $2.85 a gallon at area stations. Gas is averaging $2.91 a gallon in California.

Jeff Pulce, a 53-year-old unemployed carpenter, said cost will determine whether he sticks with ethanol for his 2005 Chevy Silverado truck.

"Today price is everything on everything -- groceries, gas, you name it. Wherever I can save a dollar that's where I go," said Pulce, who added that he's drawing unemployment for the first time in 10 years.

source: pe