Originally posted by 97teg
Look at Bio-Diesel, and you might even start waving the flag. It's renewable. It's growable by American farmers. The refining process (as with Dino) is far less energy intensive than refining gasoline. It burns clean, and smells good.
I don't think this is very viable either cause no one especially in this administration wants to get rid of our dependance on oil. There is too much money involved in it. Other racing series use methonal thats, if im not mistake, made from corn but you don't see it in the local 76 do you? Hybrids are rare cause they haven't been massed produced for very long. Diesels have been around a lot longer.The US is 5% of the worlds population and uses 25% of the world energy. Its a wasteful lifestyle suv's show this, everyone wants one, hardly anyone needs them. That last part is just my personal view.
the hybrid is the best short term solution until fuel cells take over...they run off regular gasoline but technology now allows ulev/sulev emissions along with 40+ mpg in most vehicles...this allows us to keep using the same gasoline infrastructure until fuel cell stations are built (including home units...one that powers the home and creates fuel for the car)
i'll admit that biodiesel (mono alkyl esters) sounds like a good plan...but we'd have to redo the refueling infrastructure (millions of gasoline stations will need to convert) when fuel cells are right around the corner...biodiesel may be much cleaner than regular diesel but not as big an advantage over gasoline...and biodiesels burn fuel which still adds to global warming
heres a basic analysis of biodiesel:
cons:
- in pure form won't work wtih regular engines b/c it degrades rubber (in order to work on any diesel engine you'd have to run a 20% petroleum based 80% biodiesel formula which may make it as cleaner than a normal diesel engine but still not a gasoline engine
-to run on 100% biodiesel you'd have to have your engine rebuilt without rubber based gaskets, hoses, etc.
-french fry smell (that's what the exhaust smells like)
-biodiesel is reduces unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter but DOES NOT ELIMINATE THEM (
http://www.biodiesel.org/pdf_files/emissions.PDF)...just looking at convential clean gasoline engines they are about 70% less polluting than a diesel and biodiesel would only get them to where gasoline already is (and we don't significantly reduce sulfur in our gasoline...so we can clean it more but at a higher cost...no SUV driver wants to pay more than the $100/week they are already paying)
-have to remake diesel infrastructure and create whole new mfgring industry to make it widely available...experts say 18 months to be available...very very optimistic estimate...it doesn't include most mfgrs having to create new diesel engines to install in new cars
pros
-biodiesel is oxygenated which means it has more oxygen to burn and is the primary reason why it is cleaner (burns more fuel)
-flashpoint of fuel is 175 degrees higher than regular diesel making it harder to ignite
-reduces dependence on foreign oil
if we decided to do switch over to biodiesel by the time everything else is working out fuel cells would be here and we'd have to redo the whole infrastructure again...not to mention fuel cells would be underfunded still b/c all the mfgrs had to invest in biodiesel technology
(interesting read on how lev engines reduce pollution [actually clean the air during rush hour]
http://www.hondanews.com/Forms/corp/...s(r)_text.html)