Minnesota Pollution Control Agency

Contacts: Jeff Buss, 651-296-5965 Colleen Coyne, 651-297-7363 Toll-free: 1-800-657-3864 Saint Paul, Minn. -- With gas prices climbing to more than $3.00 a gallon this summer, "green" vehicles are becoming an attractive option. And the Eco Experience at this year's State Fair will feature a variety of cool alternative vehicles and fuels: · The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's "green garage" will display automotive technologies that can save drivers big money and help clear the air. Highlighted this year is a 1997 all-electric Chevy S-10 on loan from a member of the Minnesota Electric Vehicle Association. The S-10 was built to meet California's zero-emission vehicle mandate in the 1990s. The S-10 is powered by lead-acid batteries and can run for 45 miles on a charge.
· A hybrid-electric Toyota Prius will grace the Eco Experience courtesy of the HOURCAR program presented by the Neighborhood Energy Connection. This vehicle was recently converted so that it can be used for short trips without using the gasoline engine and recharged from an electrical outlet.
· e-Ride Industries will feature a "neighborhood electric vehicle." These cars are unique, low-speed vehicles (approved by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1998) based roughly on golf cart designs.
· The American Lung Association of Minnesota presents its E85-fueled Chevy Avalanche, as well as a biodiesel all-terrain vehicle.
· A fan of hockey? You won't want to miss the hydrogen-fuel-cell ice refinisher called the "Ice Bear" from ePowered Synergies. It's the first of its kind in the U.S.
· And don't forget the Volkswagon Jetta running on used fryer oil! Winkelman's Environmentally Responsible Construction takes grease to new heights. So what's with all the buzz about alternative vehicles lately? They're a plus for the environment as well as the pocketbook. For example, most electric vehicles cost about 2-4 cents per mile to operate. That's about what you'd pay to run a gasoline-powered vehicle that gets 30 mpg vehicle if gas cost only a dollar per gallon. From an environmental standpoint, there are no tailpipe emissions from electric vehicles, although technically some air pollution is created when the electricity needed to charge their batteries is generated. Other types of alternative vehicle technologies currently available in the U.S. today include hybrid gasoline/electric vehicles, and fuel cell vehicles. Considered exotic just a few years ago, hybrid gas/electric vehicles are a fairly common sight on roadways today. Hybrids use both a battery-powered electric motor and a conventional gasoline-powered engine for power. While hybrids cars do generate tailpipe emissions, they create far fewer than their all-gasoline counterparts. Like battery-powered electric vehicles, fuel-cell vehicles are propelled by electric motors, but create their own electricity onboard through a chemical process using hydrogen and oxygen. Fuel cell vehicles are emissions-free, but decades away from the commercial market. -- About the Eco Experience at the Minnesota State Fair
A first of its kind, the Eco Experience is an indoor green space with lush rain gardens, an eco home, live entertainment, and cutting-edge displays on renewable energy, new fuels and vehicles, and organic farming. Perfect for do-it-yourselfers, techies, gardeners and nature-lovers, the space features a children's area with fun for kids of all ages. The Eco Experience is presented by the Minnesota State Fair and the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, helping Minnesotans protect the environment since 1967. Bring your family, bring a friend -- get in on the Eco Experience! The Eco Experience is located in the Progress Center building at the corner of Cosgrove Street and Randall Avenue on the State Fairgrounds. The Minnesota State Fair runs Thursday, Aug. 24 through Labor Day, Sept. 4, 2006. Park and ride information is available online at http://www.mnstatefair.org.