Gage Provides Fuels for SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

FERNDALE, MI - Feb. 23, 2006: Gage Products will return as the official fuel sponsor of the annual Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) Clean Snowmobile Challenge to be held March 13-18 at Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Mich.

The event is an engineering design competition for college and university student members of SAE and is organized and sponsored by both SAE and the Keweenaw Research Center of MTU. Modified snowmobiles compete in a variety of events which rate emissions, noise, fuel economy, endurance, acceleration, handling, static display, cold start and design factors.

This is the fourth consecutive year that Gage, which produces test fuels for the automotive industry, will provide alternative fuels to participating university teams. Sixteen teams are entered in this year's competition. Three teams plan to field electric-powered snowmobiles, while 13 have entered vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines that run on either E10, a fuel blend of 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent premium gasoline, or E85, a blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

"At Gage, we welcome the opportunity to help increase student skill levels while laying the foundation for a cleaner environment in the future," said Donald Dixon, president of Gage.

He noted that "SAE has, for instance, increased the competitive challenge for this year's student teams. To earn points in the emissions competition, teams will have to meet the federal government's 2012 environmental standards."

E85 fuel is designed for use in flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs). A renewable resource, E85 is produced by refining corn.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, more than four million light- duty FFVs in the United States are operated by private citizens, as well as by business and government fleets.

The importance of E85 as an alternative fuel becomes clear when looking at the tremendous increase in crude oil prices during the past two years, Dixon noted. Crude oil prices, for example, are projected to rise to more than $90 per barrel if an oil embargo occurs.

"The use of E85 would reduce the world's dependence on petroleum with a renewable fuel source," Dixon said. "The fuel is also cleaner burning, reducing air pollution and greenhouse gases."

A variety of vehicle manufacturers have been exploring new ways to promote E85 and FFVs. For example, General Motors with partners Chevron and Pacific Ethanol is launching a demonstration program in California to increase consumer acceptance of E85. Ford, meanwhile, recently unveiled a version of its Escape Hybrid with an internal combustion engine that runs exclusively on E85 (instead of gasoline) in conjunction with an electric motor.

The 16 teams participating in the Clean Snowmobile Challenge include two from Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY), Ecole de Technologie Superieure (Montreal), Kettering University (Flint, Michigan), McGill University (Montreal), Michigan Technological University (Houghton), Minnesota State University (Mankato), State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY-Buffalo), University of Idaho (Moscow), University of Maine (Orono), University of Minnesota-Duluth, University of New Hampshire (Durham), University of Waterloo (Ontario), University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin- Platteville and Utah State University (Logan).

A specialist in the production of test fuels for the automotive industry, Gage has provided its customers with more than 1,000 different test-fuel blends during the past six years. The company's custom-fuel customers include Bosch, Visteon, TI Automotive, Inergy Automotive Systems, Eaton Corporation, Detroit Testing Services Group and Delphi.

A global company, Gage is recognized as a pioneer in the field of sustainable manufacturing and solvent-remanufacturing techniques. Over the past 18 years, Gage's closed-loop recycling systems have been used by General Motors, Ford and Chrysler to safely recycle more than 70-million gallons of waste material. Other automotive customers include Fiat, Honda, Jaguar, Peugeot, Volkswagen, Volvo and Nissan.

Headquartered in Ferndale, Mich., Gage has facilities in Germany, the Netherlands, Brazil and Mexico. The company also manufactures paint-related products and cleaners for a wide variety of industrial uses, as well as calibration and test fuels for use in the auto industry. Visit http://www.gageproducts.com for more information.

Further details about the 2006 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge may be found at http://www.sae.org.