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Enterprise Rent-A-Car and VeraSun Energy Join Forces in South Dakota to Promote Use of Renewable Fuels
SIOUX FALLS, S.D., March 4 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Enterprise Rent-A-Car
and VeraSun Energy Corp. (NYSE: VSE), one of the nation's largest ethanol
producers, today announced the first "VE85(TM)/FlexFuel" rental branch
location in South Dakota. The Sioux Falls location is the newest Enterprise
branch to receive the E85/FlexFuel designation as part of a nationwide effort
to promote the expanded availability and use of E85, a blend of 85 percent
ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Enterprise will commit to fueling its Sioux
Falls FlexFuel vehicles with VeraSun's branded E85, VE85(TM).
Located at 1322 N. Minnesota Ave., the Enterprise "VE85(TM)/FlexFuel
Branch" will hold the inaugural fueling of its fleet on Tuesday at the
Get-N-Go located at 600 S. Minnesota Ave. during a VE85(TM) pump promotion.
From 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m., VeraSun and the South Dakota Corn Council will
sponsor a promotion where consumers can purchase VE85(TM) for $.85 a gallon.
Officials from VeraSun and the South Dakota Corn Council will be available to
speak about the benefits of ethanol and the importance of improving our
country's energy independence. Enterprise representatives will also be on
hand to speak about the company's commitment to promoting the expanded
availability of alternative fuels and technologies.
"Embracing new, clean fuels and automotive technologies is a priority for
Enterprise Rent-A-Car and an important part of our broader commitment to
environmental stewardship," said Christopher Hay, Vice President and General
Manager for Enterprise in South Dakota. "As new technologies and alternative
fuels become commercially viable, we'll continue to embrace them, and to work
with VeraSun Energy and other partners to educate and encourage our customers
to use them."
The Taylor family of companies, which includes Enterprise, National Car
Rental and Alamo Rent A Car, owns and operates the world's largest fleet of
FlexFuel vehicles -- more than 73,000 cars and trucks that have the ability to
run on E85. VeraSun launched its VE85(TM) brand in May 2005 with seven
stations in Sioux Falls and today it is available at more than 140 fueling
locations in 13 states and Washington, D.C.
"Enterprise's commitment to offering flexible fuel vehicles and promoting
the use of E85 in those vehicles is another example of how E85 is increasing
its role in diversifying our nation's energy needs," said Bill Honnef, VeraSun
Senior Vice President, Strategic Initiatives. "We applaud Enterprise for
showing corporate leadership and responsibility by setting an example that
others can follow."
Employees at the Sioux Falls location will provide customers with
educational materials about ethanol and flexible fuel vehicles, in addition to
a map detailing Sioux Falls VE85(TM) locations. The Sioux Falls
"VE85(TM)/FlexFuel Branch" joins similar branches in Washington, D.C.;
Cincinnati, Columbus andDayton, Ohio;St. Louis, Mo.; and Charlotte, N.C.
"Approximately 30 percent of the vehicles at the Sioux Falls
'VE85(TM)/FlexFuel Branch' will be FlexFuel, and we are committed to keeping
them fueled with VeraSun's VE85(TM) from Get-N-Go's fuel pumps," Hay said.
"Our continued partnership with VeraSun Energy has enabled us to make great
strides in educating and offering others the use of alternative fuels."
"We launched VE85(TM) with the objective of increasing availability and
awareness by driving volume to participating retailers," Honnef said. "As our
brand continued to increase, it allowed us to develop deeper partnerships with
companies like Enterprise. We are pleased to bring those partnerships back to
South Dakota and create value for consumers and our retail partners who
continue to support renewable fuels."
E85 is a high-octane, cleaner-burning fuel, with an octane rating of 100
or greater and the highest oxygen content of any fuel available today. The
Argonne National Laboratory reported that the use of 6.5 billion gallons of
ethanol in theUnited States during 2007 resulted in the reduction of
greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 10 million tons. The use of E85
alone contributes to a 20 percent reduction in ozone-forming pollution and a
30 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions.
About Enterprise Rent-A-Car
For additional details about Enterprise Rent-A-Car's comprehensive
environmental stewardship platform, visit www.keystogreen.com. Founded in
1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is headquartered inSt. Louis and serves customers
in theUnited States,Canada, the U.K.,Ireland, andGermany. Enterprise is
North America's largest car rental company in fleet size, number of locations,
and annual revenue, ranking No. 21 on the Forbes Top 500 Private Companies in
America. Enterprise has ranked highest in customer satisfaction among airport
rentals in eight out of the past nine years, according to J.D. Power and
Associates Rental Car Satisfaction Study SM. Enterprise is owned by the Taylor
family, which acquired the National Car Rental (nationalcar.com) and Alamo
Rent A Car (alamo.com) businesses in 2007. For more information about
Enterprise, visit enterprise.com.
About VeraSun Energy Corporation
VeraSun Energy Corporation (NYSE: VSE), headquartered in Brookings, S.D.,
is a leading producer of renewable fuel. Founded in 2001, the company has 560
million gallons per year (MMGY) of production capacity through five operating
ethanol production facilities in Aurora, S.D., Fort Dodge and Charles City,
Iowa, Linden, Ind., and Albion, Neb. Four facilities are currently either
under construction or development in Hartley, Iowa, Welcome, Minn., Reynolds,
Ind., and Bloomingburg, Ohio. Upon completion of the new facilities, VeraSun
Energy will have an annual production capacity of approximately one billion
gallons. The company also has begun construction at its Aurora facility to
extract oil from dried distillers grains, a co-product of the ethanol process,
for use in biodiesel production.
VeraSun markets E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline
for use in Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs), directly to fuel retailers under the
brand VE85(TM). VeraSun Energy now has approximately 150 VE85(TM) retail
locations under contract in more than a dozen states and Washington, D.C. For
more information, please visit VeraSun Energy's websites at www.verasun.com or
www.VE85.com.
SOURCE VeraSun Energy Corp.
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