On the way home tonight I saw a Ford Taurus SES with the Virginia Clean Special Fuel tags. When I got mine I had to send a form into DMV headquarters in Richmond with the VIN number before they were issued to me. My hunch is they were stolen. Is there a Taurus that would warrant these tags like maybe fueled by natural gas or something?

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/1827/signature.png

Hi Peggy:

___I don’t know the laws of your state and how special fuel tags are given out but quite a few Taurus’ were sold as flex-fuel capable. Flex-fuel isn’t some exotic cocktail of H2 and Benzene but simple high content ethanol and a smaller % of straight gasoline. These FFV based Taurus’ will run on E85 (85% Ethanol – 15% gasoline) as well as E10 (10% Ethanol – 90% gasoline) like most of us here in the Midwest are stuck with … Your state government might allow those tags to the FFV’s and if they offer Diamond lane access or something similar, the Taurus you spotted is getting away with murder as I am sure he/she is running straight gasoline like the rest of us. E85 is usually more expensive and reduces ones fuel economy vs. E10 based fuels most of us in the Midwest are used to filling up with.

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Hunt Club Farms Landscaping Ltd.
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

This is what the Virginia says about the special fuel tags -

You may choose to apply for clean special fuel license plates for a vehicle that utilizes only a clean special fuel. The vehicle must be exclusively powered by clean special fuel. The following types of fuels MAY qualify a vehicle for clean special fuel plates:

Compressed Natural Gas
Electricity
Ethane
Hydrogen
Hythane
Liquefied Natural Gas
Liquefied Petroleum Gas
Methane
Solar
Combination of two types of clean special fuels

Flexible fuel vehicle engines do not utilize only a clean special fuel; therefore, they do not qualify for these license plates.

NOTE: The Toyota Prius, Honda Insight and Honda Civic hybrids are classified as clean special fuel vehicles.

Only the DMV headquarters Special License Plates and Consignment Center can issue, reissue or transfer clean special fuel plates. These transactions cannot be conducted at a Customer Service Center, by an automated license agent or online dealer, or on the Internet.

The vehicle owner must submit an "Application for Personalized License Plates or Special Interest Series" (VSA 10). The entire vehicle identification number (VIN) and title number must be listed on the VSA 10.

My hunch is that the plates were stolen.

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/car/1827/signature.png