Iowa: Ethanol Plant

As we continue to work on the upcoming Iowa DLC for American Truck Simulator, we’re excited to share more about a new and important industry that will be featured in this upcoming map expansion. Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Did you know that Iowa is the largest producer of ethanol in the United States, making around 4.5 billion gallons each year? That’s nearly a quarter of all the ethanol produced in the country! So, what is ethanol used for? A lot more than you might realize, including solvents, perfumes, toiletries, disinfectants, preservatives, and polishes. It’s also used in the manufacturing of plastics, rubber, and pharmaceuticals, and it is increasingly being used as a biofuel.

Ethanol is made from corn, and this industry uses about 40% of Iowa’s corn supply. That’s why trucking is so important here! Drivers bring corn to the plants and then deliver the finished product to many other industries across the states. Also with recent rule changes allowing ethanol-blended fuel to be sold all year in several states, the demand for ethanol, and truck transport keeps growing.

On your travels across Iowa, you’ll be able to deliver to three new large ethanol plants located near the cities of Burlington, Fort Dodge, and Mason City. Each one has been faithfully recreated with buildings, silos and equipment modelled after their real life counterparts. Each has its own layout and style, with tall tanks, pipes, and loading zones.

At the ethanol plant located in Mason City, you’ll find the world’s largest free-span grain bin, it’s huge! Measuring in at over 155 feet tall and 165 feet wide, it can hold a whopping 2 million bushels of corn. It’s so big that you could fit a whole Boeing 767 airplane inside! And recently, they built another one right next to it!

The creation of this new industry was no small feat, either! In fact, 12 new chemical-related assets, such as large tanks, silos, and more, were created just for these locations. That’s the largest number of unique assets made for a depot in this DLC!

This depot will also feature our dynamic unloading feature of bulk corn inside the large unloading shed. Speaking of cargo, the main category delivered here is ADR cargo, followed by large structural parts for the plant, and of course, bulk corn.

Additionally, we’ve taken our depot scenes technology to the next level with these ethanol plants. All the assets at the depot are inserted separately, allowing them to adjust their level of detail (LOD) independently. This greatly helps with optimization and performance and helps our map designers use these assets around the depot to create a more immersive and seamless connection between the plant and its surroundings.

We hope you’ve enjoyed learning about this new industry coming to the Iowa DLC! If you’re excited to hit the road in the Hawkeye State, be sure to add Iowa for American Truck Simulator to your Steam Wishlist. Your support truly means a lot to us. Until next time, keep on truckin'!