Coskata Inc. Partners with General Motors to Make New Ethanol

Coskata is developing a cheaper, more efficient and an environmentally friendly ethanol using items such as wood chips, garbage and old tires.

Spokesman for the Washington DC based Renewable Fuels Association, Matt Hartwig says, “What Coskata represents is the evolution that’s under way in the US ethanol industry…This next-generation fuel is an example of the ingenuity and innovation in the industry.”

General Motors announced their partnership with Coskata at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit on Sunday.  GM is hoping to give the ethanol industry a boost by investing an undisclosed amount of money to Coskata .  There are also hopes to open five plants to produce ethanol within the next five years.

Mary Beth Stanek, director of GM’s Environment, Energy & Safety Policy in Detroit, claims that the new technology “will provide stability at the pump and give consumers choice.”

According to the Daily Herald, “Coskata - named after a wildlife refuge near Nantucket - has 35 employees who use patented microorganisms to produce ethanol for less than $1 a gallon, about half of today's cost of producing gasoline,” meaning consumers can buy cheaper fuel that is more environmentally friendly and gets better gas mileage.