If you thought prices at the bowser were getting a little steep, GM wants you to get a car that runs on E85 ethanol - and they'll even sell you the fuel for just 85.9 cents a gallon. The offer can be taken up on February 26th from noon to 2:00 p.m., at a Conserv Fuel station at 11699 San Vicente Boulevarde in Brentwood, Los Angeles. The Brentwood station is the first location in Los Angeles to offer E85 and while the offer only applies to Los Angeles customers with FlexFuel vehicles, the publicity stunt demonstrates the General's commitment to the increased use of ethanol.

“At GM, we believe the biofuel with the greatest potential to displace petroleum-based fuels and help reduce tailpipe carbon gas emissions is ethanol, and so we have made a major commitment to vehicles that can run on E85 ethanol,” said GM General Manager Susan Docherty in an official statement.

GM already has 2.5 million FlexFuel vehicles on the road and is expecting a further 5 million E85 vehicles to be sold by the end of the decade. With the price of oil hitting $100 a barrel recently and today's environmental concerns, consumers are likely to seek a cheaper and cleaner alternative. Considering ethanol powered vehicles require less technology and cost significantly less then producing hybrid vehicles, the biggest biggest question remains which technology will win out and gain superiority on the petrol station forecourt. To make things even harder, consumers will soon be faced with even more eco-friendly vehicles including diesel-hybrids, hydrogen vehicles, all-electric vehicles and possibly even more.