LOS ANGELES – General Motors will help lead a joint demonstration project — along with the state of California, Chevron Technology Ventures, and Pacific Ethanol — to learn more about consumer awareness and acceptance of E-85 as a motor vehicle fuel by demonstrating its use in GM’s flexible-fuel vehicles. GM intends to offer between 50 to 100 of its E-85-capable Chevrolet Impala passenger cars and Silverado pickup trucks for consideration in California’s annual competitive bid process. Flexible-fuel vehicles will be used by the California Department of Transportation (CalTrans) at various operations in Northern California and the state’s Central Valley. For GM, this collaboration with the state of California is an important first step in helping create and grow an E-85 refueling infrastructure for its E-85-capable vehicles currently on the road and in showrooms. Pacific Ethanol is constructing a large-scale ethanol facility in Madera, Calif., and has plans to build four ethanol plants in the state during the next two years. GM has made a major commitment to E-85 flexible fuel vehicles in the United States, with 1.5 million of these vehicles on the road today. GM approved the use of 10 percent ethanol blended gasoline in all GM products more than 20 years ago, and produces almost five million E-10 capable vehicles annually. For the 2006-model year, GM offers nine E-85 flexible fuel vehicles, including the Chevrolet Tahoe, GMC Yukon, Chevrolet Suburban, GMC Yukon XL, Chevrolet Silverado, GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Avalanche, Chevrolet Impala, and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo. In Europe, the GM-owned Saab brand is making headway with the E-85-fueled Saab 9-5 BioPower, which is now available to consumers in Sweden and Germany. A 310 hp concept version of the 9-5 BioPower debuted at the 2006 Los Angeles Auto Show to illustrate how Saab might extend this initiative to the United States.