Vehicles that run on more than one type of fuel are something of a rarity on the road now, but the theory is that it could change if the car companies increase the choices available to consumers.
General Motors is doing exactly that by promising to bring out various sport-utility vehicles with the 5.3-litre V8 that can run on varying blends of ethanol and gasoline, from 100 per cent gasoline up to a maximum of 85 per cent ethanol (making them E85 models).
Beginning with the year 2002 models (which is a little more than a year away) all Chevrolet Suburbans, Tahoes and GMC Yukons and Yukon XL's equipped with the Vortec 5.3-liter V8 will be flex-fuel able. The all new Chevrolet Avalanche pickup/sport-utility with the standard 5.3-liter V8 will also have E85 capability beginning with the year 2003 models, or two years from now.
GM has been selling flex-fuel versions of the Chevy S-10 and GMC Sonoma small pickups with the 2.2-liter 4 cylinders engine since late 1999.
By the end of the year 2004 models, GM will have produced over one million trucks with flex-fuel capability. Few of them will actually be used as flex-fuel vehicles, of course, but they are capable of it and GM does receive fuel-economy brownie points from the U.S. government for building them.