by Joanne Ivancic (Advanced Biofuels USA)   GM’s Corvette proudly flies the Green Challenge Champion banner over its paddock at Petit Le Mans, having taken the honor for 2008.  Todd Christensen, GM sport compact marketing manager pointed out the E-85 logo on the Corvette being prepared for the day’s racing and talked about GM’s alternative fuels strategy. That E85 used in the racing Corvette epitomizes that strategy for both racer and consumers.  He noted that 4 million GM products can run on similar fuels.

Green racing to GM means that when alternative renewable fuels can power successful race cars, it opens the eyes of the public to the capabilities of biofuels.  The racing Corvette resembles the car that drives on the street.  The technologies developed for racing will be applied elsewhere.  He’s looking forward to the days of using cellulosic ethanol in the E85 blend.

Doug Fehan, Corvette's champion, explains how what is learned in the yellow cars racing on the track is applied to the cars riding on everywhere streets.

More specifically, the word from Doug Fehan, racing program manager for the American Le Mans Series and Corvette’s grandest champion.  He termed GM’s participation in the Green Challenge an extension of the whole Corvette program: most effective marketing AND tech transfer.  For example, Corvette was the first to use cellulosic ethanol in ALMS racing at the 2^nd race in 2008 at Long Beach.  Using KL biofuel.

Noting the 3.5 million GM flex fuel vehicles on the road now, green racing obviously matches the GM business plan and efforts to educate the public, to allay fears about using biofuels, to continue to develop biofuels solutions beyond ethanol.  Ethanol may not be THE answer; but is currently part of the solution.

Corvette boasting of its E85 fuel before the Tres Bon Petit Le Mans

Besides, Doug emphasized, “It’s the right thing to do.  GM is a world leader in ‘cleaning up the place’ looking to develop environmentally efficient and affordable vehicles.”  I mentioned the GM-sponsored biofuels summit at Detroit before the Indy/ALMS races in 2008 and GM’s investment in two post-corn-ethanol biofuels technologies.  Doug also noted the GM hydrogen fuel cell car that completed one million miles on the road.

Corvette and GM see the Green Challenge as the perfect opportunity to show they are leaders in green racing and contributing to the “greening of the world.”

He quoted David Brabham, “There are many technologies and we need to explore everything.”  In developing technologies for racing, Doug explained, we might try 2000 ways to make something work.  And if the resulting application is not transferable to autos, it may have applications for something else-like designs for the Saturn rockets for space exploration and the development of electronics used just about everywhere.

Related posts:

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2. Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Put Some Teeth ($) into the Green Challenge
3. Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Drayson Racing
4. Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: Audi and Shell
5. Green Racing at Petit Le Mans: The Beginnings