October 2007
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Posted by KatyH under
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Wed 24 Oct 2007
Posted by KatyH under
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Most major towns have service stations that sell ethanol. Any vehicle is ready for E10 without modification. But is this corn substance really the next petrol and the answer to all our prayers? Is it a band-aid to get us through this next decade as transportation morphs into something emission-free? Or is it a scam by big business and corn farming lobbyists to be the next staple of global motorists?
U.S. Legislation.
Why is ethanol so backed by the US government? Is it a matter of lobbying or actual advantages to our future? Most critics argue the former. Tax codes are written to ensure tax write offs on anything flex-fueled…to include an H2. So here we are, tax payers, supporting those luxurients entrenched in some sort of false comfort of environmental-friendliness.
Is ethanol the answer?
Maybe and maybe not. The amount of energy ethanol produces is about equal to the amount of energy required to create ethanol. So all in all, it’s probably not the perfect alternative fuel. However, equilibrium is a surefire improvement to the petrol alternative. Additionally, critics claim that there isn’t enough crop land to support the driving habits of Americans on ethanol alone. Activists would argue that the crops were already going to be grown. Controversial government farm subsidies to prevent farmers from growing the crops could be altered to provide corn for ethanol. Additionally, cars burn ethanol cleaner than petrol and improve mileage. Where a Volkswagon Jetta may go 13 miles per gallon on regular gasoline, the hybrid version can manage about 90 miles per gallon on ethanol…which leads to another point.
While environmentalists ponder the next decade’s changes in fuel choice, we look for current gas stations and the companies that own them to change concurrently. If mileage is that so we don’t have to fuel up every 200 miles, a reduction in the number of service stations isn’t an issue. And that’s what it’s going to take as we transition.
So what is the way ahead? The transition is apparently this mix of hybrids we’re encountering now. With legislation undergoing alterations and ceaseless improvements on the learning curve, we may find it will reflects President Bush’s original advocacy of hydrogen. But until the technology is affordable and accessible… we wait to see.
Some related articles are:
Why do our Highways Smell Like French Fries?
America’s Fuel on You Tube
Tue 23 Oct 2007
Mon 22 Oct 2007
Mon 22 Oct 2007
Wed 17 Oct 2007
Mon 15 Oct 2007
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