VeraSun Energy is putting a lot of effort into getting the word out about its branded biofuel. The ethanol maker has teamed up with Enterprise Rent-A-Car to put its “VE85″ blend into the tanks of Enterprise’s “VE85/FlexFuel” rental cars in Sioux Falls, S.D.; it will also be running a promotion in the bustling Dakotan metropolis by offering VE85 for 85 cents a gallon.
VeraSun launched VE85 in 2005; it is currently only available at some 140 fueling stations in 13 states, and can only be used in flex-fuel cars able to handle the higher oxygen content. To clarify, there is nothing special about VE85, besides this rocking web site. It is identical to every other E85 out there — a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.
But VeraSun is hoping that branding their fuel will boost sales. Bill Honnef, VeraSun VP, explained: “We launched VE85 with the objective of increasing availability and awareness by driving volume to participating retailers.” And it’s already yielded results. “As our brand continued to increase, it allowed us to develop deeper partnerships,” he said. Enterprise is just the latest. VeraSun partnered with Kroger last month to sell VE85 at 20 locations in Texas.
Coskata recently told us about the branding of their ethanol, “C85,” which the GM-backed biofuel maker says highlights the non-food feedstock used. We chatted with Coskata’s chief marketing officer and VP, Wes Bolsen, who explained the rationale:
C85 we thought could stand for clean…cellulosic….Coskata. I could see the tag line to the consumer in my mind, and we could work to distribute this ethanol to the pumps. We will most likely let all of our partners have the rights to use this brand. It would basically be like an “Intel inside” stamp idea — ethanol made from Coskata’s efficient and environmentally friendly process.
Apparently the thinking goes that eco-savvy purchasers of ethanol will be eco-savvy enough to have read up on the environmental problems of corn-based biofuel, but not the problems of cellulosic ethanol.
While the consumer might not be able to differentiate between E85, VE85 and C85 right now, biofuel branding shows no sign of abating. The next time you purposefully gas up with particular brand of biofuel, be sure to let us know.

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