The teams were cheered on by Natural Resources Canada Minister Ralph Goodale, Environment Minister David Anderson, U.S. Ambassador to Canada Gordon Giffin, General Motors of Canada President Maureen Kempston Darkes, and U.S. Department of Energy Associate Deputy Assistant Secretary Richard Moorer. The teams are competing to achieve lowest emissions, highest fuel economy, best cold-start capabilities and other critical performance measures.
Ethanol has many potential benefits.
The greater use of ethanol can also create new business opportunities and jobs by opening up new markets for the agriculture and forestry industries. The technological advancements made from this competition show ethanol's potential to decrease foreign oil dependence, reduce the effects of global warming, and improve the agriculture economy. The Ethanol Vehicle Challenge is a cooperative effort of the Canadian and U.S. governments, auto, ethanol, agricultural and petroleum industries and academia to work together to bring environmentally friendly vehicle technologies to the market place. Both Canada and the U.S. are interested in ethanol as an alternative fuel because of its environmental benefits. Ethanol produced from plant materials, such as agricultural crops, can reduce greenhouse gas emissions, that contribute to global warming.