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Emerson Fittipaldi

Former Indy 500 winner Emerson Fittipaldi is into the ethanol business in Brazil and you can be sure he is watching closely the Brazil Ethanol sponsorship deal the IRL recently announced although he is heavily involved in the Brazil A1GP team. Here he shares his thoughts on his ethanol business and why he thinks it is good for the environment.

Why are you helping to produce environmentally friendly fuel?
I’m developing a project I started three years ago making ethanol from sugar cane. We have 35 years’ experience of using ethanol as a fuel in Brazil. We are the No.1 country with this technology and I’m working very hard. That’s my main business now.

What’s the process of turning sugar cane into fuel?
We take the alcohol from the sugar cane. There’s much less pollution and it produces energy that is recyclable. A month ago, for the first time in Brazil’s history, ethanol consumption in cars overtook fuel.

Have you run into any opposition from oil companies?
For sure. There are people in Europe saying the production of ethanol in Brazil is affecting the price of food. What’s having a bigger impact is the ethanol made from corn in the US.

Are you interested in environmental issues?
I have had an orange farm for 35 years. I’m a farmer so, yes, of course I’m interested. Brazil is more conscious of the environment than most other countries. There was a perception in Europe of ethanol production affecting the Amazon. Sugar cane doesn’t grow in the Amazon, it’s too humid.