The automotive world is adding a splash of Miami Vice [1] to the ecomobile: Saab [2] this week unveiled a concept car [3] powered by 100-percent ethanol [4] that gets 400 horsepower and has wing-like doors that open skyward – think Lamborghini [5] circa 1985. Yes, folks, it looks cool. And if it could actually find its way to an ethanol station, it might actually BE cool from an environmental standpoint. Unfortunately, only about 600 out of the 170,000 fueling station in America offer ethanol-blend fuels [6].

But a flurry of new legislative proposals are working their way through Congress that aim to expand the availability of ethanol in the United States, according to a recent Grist.org article [7]. Keep in mind that there are still many enviros who doubt the environmental benefits of corn-derived ethanol – citing legitimate concerns about the significant amount of fossil fuel inputs that are required to grow and harvest the corn [8].

But more and more enviros are expressing support for ethanol: “There is no longer any question that biofuels [9] can deliver major net savings in energy and emissions,” says green energy expert Nathanael Greene in a Natural Resources Defense Council press release [10]. “The corn-based ethanol in wide use in many parts of the country is delivering good results already.”

A new study [11] commissioned by NRDC shows that even corn-based ethanol could reduce fossil-fuel demands. The savings are negligible, however, compared to those you could get from cellulosic ethanol, [12] which is not derived from corn but rather from more eco-friendly materials such as woodchips and fast-growing grasses [13].

Photo credit: MSNBC.com [14], Olaf Gallas / AP