Biodiesel Earns High Marks at 2003 Michelin Challenge Bibendum; Jetta Fueled by B100 Leads the Pack in Ratings
SAN FRANCISCO--Oct. 1, 2003--Green Star Products Inc. (OTC US: GSPI) announced today that the National Biodiesel Board (www.biodiesel.org) issued a release identifying the high performance of the American Biofuels biodiesel car entry in the 2003 Michelin Challenge Bibendum.American Biofuels, a member of the prestigious National Biodiesel Board, is 35% owned by Green Star Products Inc.
The release follows: Biodiesel Earns High Marks at 2003 Michelin Challenge Bibendum; Jetta Fueled by B100 Leads the Pack in Ratings
SONOMA, Calif. -- A vehicle fueled by biodiesel captured an impressive array of performance honors at the 2003 Michelin Challenge Bibendum, held at Infineon Raceway in Sonoma, Calif. A 2001 Volkswagen Jetta TDI running on B100 captured more top ratings than any other production class vehicle, earning an "A" in six categories including energy efficiency, carbon dioxide and range.
Michelin bills the Challenge Bibendum as the largest environmental vehicle event in the world. It is a performance event displaying the advancements in vehicle technologies, sustainable mobility and "environmentally positive transportation."
"Overall, the progress towards sustainable mobility by all of the participating technologies and energy sources is very impressive," said Patrick Oliva, director, Challenge Bibendum. "There is no single choice, no one path alone to achieving our ultimate goal of environmentally-positive road transportation that is enjoyable to drive and safe for drivers and passengers. Each year, the variety of technologies and creative innovations displayed offer proof that sustainable mobility is within our grasp."
Entrants in the Challenge were rated with A, B, C and D letters. Eleven performance categories had Gold Awards for "A" ratings and Silver Awards for "B" ratings. The Volkswagen Jetta, entered by American Biofuels, attained the Gold Award in energy efficiency by achieving more than 60 miles per gallon on the Infineon Raceway while clocking some of the fastest lap times in the fuel efficiency event.
The team also received a Gold Award for carbon dioxide performance. "American Biofuels entered the Michelin challenge this year to specifically capture the CO2 awards that relate to reducing global warming gases and providing a renewable and sustainable transportation industry," said Joseph LaStella, president of Green Star Products and a director of American Biofuels. The vehicle attained an "A" in all three CO2 performance categories.
A joint U.S. Department of Energy/U.S. Department of Agriculture lifecycle study of biodiesel found that it reduces carbon dioxide over its lifecycle by 78 percent compared to petroleum diesel. Other emissions it significantly reduces include particulate matter, carbon monoxide. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently released a comprehensive technical report of biodiesel emissions data that shows the exhaust emissions of particulate matter from pure biodiesel are about 47 percent lower than overall particulate matter emissions from diesel. Breathing particulate has been shown to be a human health hazard. Biodiesel emissions also reduce by 80 to 90 percent potential cancer causing compounds called Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH) and nitrated PAH. Biodiesel also reduces emissions of total unburned hydrocarbons, a contributing factor to smog and ozone, by about 68 percent. Carbon monoxide is reduced by about 48 percent.
Biodiesel has similar horsepower, torque and BTU content compared to petroleum diesel. It offers excellent lubricity and higher cetane than diesel fuel. Biodiesel is registered with the EPA as a fuel and fuel additive, and has achieved a national standard by the American Society of Testing and Materials (D 6751). About 350 major fleets currently use biodiesel nationwide.
Readers can learn more about biodiesel by visiting www.biodiesel.org. To learn more about the Michelin Challenge, visit www.challengebibendum.com. To learn more about American Biofuels and Green Star Products, visit www.baat.com.