Through a partnership with Growth Energy, Sharber Oil Company, located at 250 Whigham Dairy Road in Bainbridge, has been able to introduce higher level blends of ethanol for their commercial fleet customers with flex-fuel vehicles.

Sharber Oil Company has opened an E85 pump with assistance from Growth Energy’s 2010 E85 and Blender Pump Program.

E-85 is an alcohol-based fuel mixture that typically contains a mixture of up to 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Flex-fuel vehicles can operate on either E-85 or regular gasoline.

“Growth Energy has been an excellent group to work with,” said Greg Waddell, general manager of Sharber Oil Company. “They helped us provide a product that we believe will be the future of automotive alternative fuel.”

“It’s exciting to see more retailers across the country install high level ethanol fueling equipment that will provide flex-fuel vehicle owners greater access to E85 fuel,” said Growth Energy CEO Tom Buis. “We commend Sharber Oil Company for their efforts and are pleased to assist them in adding this fueling facility.”

Waddell said Sharber Oil is the first in the immediate area to offer E-85. It opened the 24-hour fleet fueling E85 site in May, and is the 39th station in the state of Georgia to offer E85.  For a complete listing of E85 stations, visit www.E85Refueling.com

For more information on the 2010 Growth Energy E85 and Blender Pump Grant Program, contact the Growth Energy Market Development office at 1-877-485-8595 or at scourter@growthenergy.org.