The F-150 will launch later this year with a choice a three gasoline V-8 engines, but by 2010, a second new engine joins the lineup:  the EcoBoost V-6.  This 3.5L turbocharged and direct injected will eventually be flex-fuel capable. The version of the engine that has been announced for the Lincoln MKS is rated at 340hp and 340lb-ft of torque and is limited by the transverse mounted configuration. Ford’s Lincoln brand also showcased the MKT concept, which has a version of the EcoBoost engine specifically optimized for use with E85. Ford has committed to building up to 500,000 of these engines annually within the next five years.

Meanwhile, the next generation of the Explorer not only will shift to a unit body layout, but also will add smaller, more efficient and flex-fuel ready engines. Ford has indicated the new Explorer will be powered by EcoBoost engines. That includes a 280hp, 2.0L four cylinder  and 340hp 3.5L V-6 gasoline turbocharged direct injected (GTDI) engines. Ford's GTDI engines will be flex-fuel capable when the new Explorer reaches the market in 2010.

General Motors currently has 11 models capable of running on E85. But it plans to double that number in 2009.

At the Detroit show, the automaker turned to its most enthusiastic biofuel brand, Saab, to demonstrate that effort. The Swedish division brought its latest flex-fuel engine to the 2008 North American International Auto Show

in the shape of a new crossover called the 9-4X BioPower concept. The 9-4X engine has been optimized for maximum performance and efficiency when running on E85. Running on E85, this new engine has a maximum output of 300hp and 295lb-ft of torque.

The HUMMER HX concept being unveiled at the 2008 Detroit Auto Show is the smallest vehicle yet from the brand and the first capable of running on biofuels. Under the hood the HX uses the first flex-fuel version of GM's high-feature 3.6L V-6. This six-cylinder engine is currently used in both longitudinal and transverse configurations in a wide variety of vehicles in the US and overseas markets. The 3.6L is available in everything from the Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura to the big Lamda-platform CUVs, such as the Saturn Outlook. The latest production version introduced on the 2008 Cadillac CTS and STS adds direct fuel injection to raise the output from approximately 260hp (depending on the application) to 304hp. The V-6 also is available in overseas markets in a 2.8L version.

GM CEO Rick Wagoner acknowledged that corn-based ethanol has its drawbacks, including valid concerns about environmental damage caused by over-farming. In doing so, he announced GM has bought an equity stake in an 18-month-old biomass to ethanol company, which lays claim to a new production process that’s cheaper, uses less water and emits less CO2 than conventional corn-based ethanol production. Named after a wildlife refuge near Nantucket, Coskata executives and scientists say their feedstock gasification and biofermentation process churns out ethanol at a cost of under $1 a gallon.

In a major announcement at the North American International Auto Show, American Le Mans Series CEO Scott Atherton says the series will be embracing green fuels. In particular, ALMS is working with the Society of Automotive Engineers to define a set of protocols for a Green Challenge, which will debut at the 2008 Petite Le Mans taking place at Road Atlanta on Oct. 1-4, 2008. The criteria for selecting the winner of the Green Challenge are currently being established and will be announced within the next 60 days.

According to Atherton, the Green Challenge "will be a measurement of a car's impact on the environment, its utilization of alternative fuels, its utilization of new technology that may enable to store energy and re-apply it.”

ALMS currently includes Audi, which is running the diesel powered R10 in the LMP1 class with other cars running on an E10 ethanol/gasoline blend in the 2007 season.

Ed Peper, General Manager of Chevrolet, announced that the Corvette Racing team will run on cellulosic E85 during the 2008 season. The still unnamed supplier will provide ethanol made from wood chips.

In a sign of just how green-fuels crazed this year's Detroit Auto Show has been, Ferrari showcases its F430 Spider Biofuel, ready to run on E85. The flex fuel show car is more of a demonstration than a specific powertrain direction for the Italian racing icon. But the automaker notes that the F430 shows it can develop vehicles that can perform at the highest, and greenest, levels. The F430 has achieved a 10hp increase at the same RPM and a 4 percent torque boost as a result of the powertrain changes.

Mazda unveiled the Furai, which is based off the Courage C65 racer the automaker competed with in the ALMS. The car is updated with a new 450hp rotary engine. The Furai is ready to roll on 100 percent pure ethanol produced through a partnership with BP.

Toyota Motor Co. President Katsuaki Watanabe reiterated that the Japanese car company will equip its Tundra pickup and Sequoia SUV with E85 flex-fuel engines in 2008.

Toyota Motor Sales USA President Jim Lentz says the automaker is monitoring whether US drivers will in fact shift toward E85, but it’s top fuel-saving strategy centers on expanding Hybrid Synergy Drive system to many more models, including two to be announced in 2009.

In the meantime, Watanabe also says Toyota will continue research into harnessing wood waste, instead of food or grain based crops, to make ethanol.

JANUARY 2008