E85 conversion kits from Brazil make E85 available for use to millions of auto owners.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty is asking the Environmental Protection Agency to approve the testing of E-85 conversion kits in Minnesota.

A conversion kit called FlexTek http://flextek.com - manufactured by XcelPlus International http://xcelplus.com- is seeking EPA certification for use in the United States, Pawlenty said Monday in a letter to EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. The technology is already being used in Brazil, said Pawlenty.

Conversion kits would allow a non-flex fuel vehicle to burn E-85, a fuel composed of 15 percent gasoline and 85 percent ethanol.

Minnesota, which in 1998 became a test market for a retail E-85 refueling network, leads the nation with 260 E-85 refueling stations, said Pawlenty.

The EPA currently prohibits a company or individual from converting a gasoline vehicle to E-85 operation.

However, conversions could result in emissions benefits and help reduce the nation's addiction to fossil fuels, said Pawlenty.

Pawlenty said his staff would contact EPA officials to further discuss testing the equipment in Minnesota.