CIJeep

E85 also increases CO2 output dramatically in addition to all the above.

We buy most of our oil from Mexico and Canada, some from Russia. We should start drilling as we have as much oil of more here than they do in the M.E.

However, given that Ford can give us 65MPG I say drop some of the requirements put on us for smog and let us get our MPG. The higher the mpg the more efficient the engine anyhow.

derff96963

I hear what you are saying, However it doesn't all add up. I don't like being dependent on oil as much as the next guy. However it doesn't matter what crop you grow for ethanol. There are farmers that are growing crops specifically for the distillation of ethanol, that normally would be growing if for food use. Now these crops are not being sold to food manufacturers or distributors. This lowers the supply of the crop and increases the price of it.

I have never understood farm subsidies that pay a farmer to not grow crops. I have no idea who thought that one up.


Also as far as 10% ethanol I wish we didn't even do that. Here in PA and I believe most of the country they only run the ethanol blend in the summer months. I can tell by my mileage when I get the first of the normal fuel in fall and the first of 10 percent ethanol in the spring. If ten percent can effect my mileage about 2 -3 Mpg I don't want to know what 85 percent will do.

We could turn every square foot of the US not currently developed into growing corn and we could still not produce enough to meet out fuel demands. This also does not solve the problem of where do we get diesel fuel. We can't make corn into that. How do we make heating oil(basically diesel again) To make these you distill the crude oil and the different fuels condense at different temperatures. Gasoline, Kerosene, Diesel, heating oil are all produced at the same time. Are we to throw out the gasoline and just keep the Diesel and the heating oil?

We need a new technology but I don't feel ethanol is it.

hawgrider1200

The government has been paying farmers to refrain from growing things since I was a young boy. I think you can blame the democrats for that one. I guess you haven't heard about biodiesel? They are taking used vegatable oils from fry pots at your local golden arches etc filtering it and burning it in diesel engines. ($800 kit) So your sunflowers, canola, soybeans and corn can be used for burning in an internal combustion engine. Probably could be used to heat your house if someone will put their imagination into it. So if ya don't feel a big warm and fuzzy for bio fuels, think something else up and make it work. They're already miles ahead of everything else in the bio fuel industry so you better work fast. Oh I'd ditch that stock ya got in foriegn oil and invest in our country's future. Build a still!!!!

RubiconRed_Flagstaff

You can use E85 once in a great while, like if you were on a trip and thats the only thing a gas station had, but you would probably only get 10-12mpg.

Go look at the w w w.fueleconomy (dot) gov website.

It's a federal website, and look at the EPA Gas mileage for identical cars, one using E85 and one using Gas.

So you might think you are paying $2.99 a gallon for fuel, but with the worse fuel economy, it's actually costing you more like $3.50 a gallon.

It's not an answer. The knuckleheads on Washington DC tried to push it, giving GM massive tax breaks if they would promote it. Unfortunately - or fortunately, several hard hitting news articles told of the reality that it actually costs more.

ps: They actually had riots in Mexico over this issue. Seems the price of Tortillas went up dramatically as US Farmers sell corn to Mexico. And the price went up. Mexico, which is sorta a socialist/mafia run country, had to step in with "Market Stabilization".

derff96963

I don't know who has brainwashed you and No I do not own oil stock.

Again you are being so short sighted because we can't even begin to make enough biodiesel to make a difference. Maybe 1 in 50 Semi's on the road could use it, that still sounds high. The only thing that might help that is they have developed a way to produce Diesel out of coal. However the environmentalist won't allow any production plants to be built. This also would raise the price of coal and a lot of the country uses coal for Electricity, so your rates would go way up. That might make a plug in electric car not cost effective anymore.


You forgot another thing, Have they found a way to produce bio-jet fuel yet? Where do you want to get all of that from.

The problem is all of these idea's sound good a first glance but when you dig into them they are not worth it.

I really hope someone comes out with a battery breakthrough. Where what fuels we have could be burnt at a lot higher efficiency at the power plant. Opps forgot for us to go all electric they would have to completely upgrade out power grid to handle the much higher loads



I don't mean to be the pessimist. If a TRULY better idea comes out, I will definitely back it in a way I can. There just hasn't been a truly good idea yet.

The only real promising idea would be if we could get fuel cells more efficient and work at lower temperatures. Burn the fuel in power plants or use Nuke plants to break down Water into hydrogen. Then use the hydrogen in the fuel cells. Even this Idea would need new refueling infrastructure to handle and dist. the hydrogen.

jkairmech

I don't care about mpg, I'm more concerned about fuel availability in the future,