Orange County Choppers Reveal America’s First Renewable Energy Chopper Running on E85

NEWTON, Iowa--Paul Teutul Sr. and his sons, Paul Jr. & Mikey, were sharing the track with international race car drivers at the Iowa Corn Indy 250 today as they unveiled their first ‘green’ chopper – the Iowa Farm Bureau Renewable Energy Chopper.

The E85 chopper visually showcases sustainable renewable sources derived from Iowa agriculture such as wind, ethanol, soy biodiesel and even livestock. The chopper runs on E85, a gasoline-blended fuel that contains up to 85% ethanol.

“We had no idea Iowa had so many cutting-edge renewable energy efforts underway until we came to the state for inspiration in the design of the E85 chopper,” said Paul Jr. “It was really amazing to see a wind turbine up close and learn that a single wind farm could power more than 5,000 homes. It was cool to learn that cattle were necessary for renewable energy; something we found out when we climbed a DDG pile. They are literally using every component of agriculture they can to move us away from foreign oil,” said Paul Jr.

The chopper is part of an Iowa Farm Bureau-led movement called “Join the Ride Iowa” (www.jointherideiowa.com) to encourage the development and use of renewable energy.

“The Iowa Farm Bureau partnered with OCC on this project because Iowa is the epicenter of renewable energy activity through our leadership role in ethanol, soy biodiesel, wind, and livestock production,” said Iowa Farm Bureau Federation (IFBF) President Craig Lang. “More than any other state, Iowa understands agriculture and we knew if anyone could showcase that, it would be the Teutuls.”

“American consumers want to reduce our reliance on imported petroleum – and we can – by supporting agriculture,” Lang added. “We can become energy independent while protecting our environment through the use of agricultural resources and by being educated about the benefits of using clean energy like E85, wind and soy biodiesel.”

The sleek, custom-built chopper includes innovative design features such as:

• Spinners in the wheels that run to scale of a genuine wind turbine; Iowa’s wind energy industry is growing faster than any other state in the nation, with the ability to power more than 250,000 homes annually.
• The front fenders feature 3-D sculpted corn and rear fenders soybeans: corn and soybeans are used to make ethanol and soy biodiesel. Iowa is the number one producer of corn, beans, ethanol and biodiesel, used to fuel, energize and clothe a world’s growing population.
• The engine runs on E85. Filling up a 32-gallon tank with E85 replaces one barrel of foreign oil with an Iowa-grown renewable fuel.
• The custom cowhide leather seat includes artistic renderings of livestock. Iowa leads the nation in various livestock and poultry production; Iowa’s livestock and poultry eat the co-product of ethanol production adding to the cycle of sustainability.

Consumers will have an opportunity to win the chopper as it makes its way on the “Join the Ride Iowa” tour across Iowa this summer by purchasing $10 raffle tickets. Gross proceeds from the “Join the Ride Iowa” raffle will go to the American Lung Association of Iowa in support of the organization’s “Clean Air Choice” program, which promotes consumer education of E85, biodiesel and other clean energy initiatives.

The Iowa Corn Indy 250 marks the first year the IndyCar Series race cars are running on 100 percent fuel-grade ethanol.

Editors, Please Note:

Visit www.jointherideiowa.com for:

OCC Iowa Farm Bureau Renewable Energy Chopper photos

Join the Ride Iowa information

Tips on how consumers can get involved in renewable energy