GM's Wagoner: U.S. Needs 15,000 More Ethanol Stations

The U.S. needs more stations that sell ethanol, claims GM CEO Rick Wagoner in this article.  Currently, there are about 1400 such stations, 800 more than when GM first started selling its flex fuel cars, but there are 170,000 filling stations in this country.  Wagoner says that the U.S. probably needs 15,000 to 20,000 more ethanol stations.  As a result, GM has been working with box retailers like Target and Wal-Mart to put ethanol pumps in.

Wagoner made these remarks at CES. He went on to say that in the long run, corn ethanol won’t cut it.  “To get beyond a certain level, it is going to have to go beyond grain-based in the U.S.,” he said.  One alternative is cellulosic ethanol.

At the CES show, Wagoner is also promoting the Cadillac Provoq, which comes with a solar panel on the roof to power the car’s electronics, a hydrogen fuel cell, and a lithium-ion battery.

Last year, GM partnered with Governor Ritter in Colorado to bring more ethanol pumps to the state.  Before that, Michigan provided funds for 1000 new ethanol pumps in its state.