Sapphire Energy is powering Green Fuel’s Algaeus, the world’s first plug-in hybrid vehicle powered by a blend of algae-based renewable gasoline, without modifications to the gasoline engine. The automobile can travel from the US’ east to west coast on 25 gallons.
“What better way to show that the energy solutions we have been waiting for are here than driving the world’s first algae fuel powered, 150 mile per gallon, plug-in-electric hybrid vehicle across America to celebrate the opening of a movie about a new green economy,” said Josh Tickell, Sundance Film Festival Winning Director of “FUEL” and Founder/Co-Director of Veggie Van Organization.
Green crude won’t be sold at your local gas station any time soon — Sapphire Energy is ramping up production of algae-based jet fuel this year, with plans to produce 2 million gallons of algae-based diesel fuel each year in the next two years. Eventually the company expects that green crude will be cost-competitive with fossil fuels. And while the Algaeus only runs on a 5% blend of algae fuel, Tickell hopes that the vehicle can prove to consumers that green fuel solutions are on the horizon. “Up until now the environmental movement has been reactionary. We have no discourse about energy,” he said.” And we want to shift that.”