Iowa’s largest privately owned convenience store chain has announced plans to add more gas pumps that dispense E-85. Jack Wilkie, the Senior Vice-President for Marketing with Kum and Go, says the company currently offers 11 E-85 locations in the state, but by the end of the 2008, they will have 19 E85 sites in Iowa and 31 around the country.
Wilkie says the biggest challenge is having customers that are ready for the E-85 fuel. "The key now is to put the pumps out where there’s demand," Wilkie says, "so we tend to have our E-85 pumps on more interstate locations and in more dense population areas where we have a larger customer base." Kum and Go has 445 stores in Iowa. The chain is partnering with GM to raise awareness about E-85.
GM dealers in Iowa will promote the new Kum and Go fueling stations when customers purchase flex-fuel vehicles. Overall, Iowa now has around 65 locations where motorists can purchase E-85.