dolebludger
01-02-2007, 02:46 AM
I know all the problems, like cars that are Federally mandated to be able to run on 10% ethanol, but aren't really capable. Like the fact that corn, when used to make ethanol, produces ony 1.5 units of energy for every 1 unit of traditional energy needed to prodce it. So, we've got problems.
But Brazil has achieved energy independence by mandating E 85 vehicles, and producing the ethanol from sugar cane, which yields more energy compared with the energy needed to produce it from corn. We can do the same with switchgrass, which is darn near a weed around here. In mid America, it will grow in the swamps and in the dry plains. It will grow almost anywhere except in the middle of a concrete Interstate! And it produces FIVE units of energy for every ONE unit needed to grow, harvest, and refine it.
Corn is a stop-gap. Crops like swithgrass are the real future. There is only a bit of technology to be developed to get swithchgrass ethanol out there.
We in the US tend to think of ethanol as a new and unproven fuel. Actually, that's not true, but I will have to resort to a very politically incorrect example to prove this fact. You see, Hitler's war machine had no domestic oil to run it. So, it resorted to ethanol blends, even before WWII started. All of the tanks, dive bombers, and fighter planes that took over Eastern Europe were powered by something like E85. So were the bombers and fighters in the Battle of Britton. So was Germany's war machine that tried and failed to take over Russia, and tried and failed to repell the Allies after D day. We defeated them, thank God, but it was not because they lacked fuel. They achieved energy independence via ethanol.
So this is an example of two countries that have achieved energy independence via ethanol. Brazil is a recent example of a country at peace that did it. Germany over 60 years ago is an example of a country at war that did it.
We don't need to mandate that anybody buy and use it. We just need to encourage more flex fuel (E85) vehicles. The car makers are already producing more of these, due to the mandate from Brazil. A few more car models made flex fuel, and a few more ethanol refineries, and we will be on our way. And then, we can tell SW Asia to go to --- well you know where!
All this being said, I wouldn't want traditional gasoline to go away anytime soon. Our current problem is that we have to import about 30% of our oil to take care of our demand. To stop this, we would need only 35.30% of our people driving E85 flex fuel vehicles and actually using E 85. This would benefit those who chose or needed traditional gasoline, because where do you think the price of a barrel of crude is going when we are not at the mercy of the international market? It is going down, and fast!
Who will buy E85? Me, for one. My Mercedes will burn it. All tests on such flex fuel vehicles show that they are FASTER on E 85. Yep, they get lower gas mileage, but the target wholesale price for ethanol in the refinery I bought a piece of is $1.22 per gallon. When we get enough ethanol refineries going, the cheaper price for E85 will more than make up the difference, and you guys who want to keep using traditional gasoline will benefit from lower prices too. It's just a win-win deal.
Ethanol, even from a high yield feedstock such as swithgrass, is but a stop-gap measure in itself. We must encourage, and wait for, the energy efficient technology to extract hydrogen out of sea water (plentiful) to power fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen can be chemically converted to electricity in these vehicles (Honda is already testing one) which can power electric motors to drive the car. Is this the end of the enthusiast's car? No, it is the beginning! No transmission is needed, so the cars can be lighter in weight than current cars. Big sedans can weigh less than 3,000 lbs. electric motors of 200 hp can be mounted to power each of the four wheels. Folks, that is 800 hp! Times of 0 to 60 in 2 seconds will not be uncommon.
Let's Roll!
But Brazil has achieved energy independence by mandating E 85 vehicles, and producing the ethanol from sugar cane, which yields more energy compared with the energy needed to produce it from corn. We can do the same with switchgrass, which is darn near a weed around here. In mid America, it will grow in the swamps and in the dry plains. It will grow almost anywhere except in the middle of a concrete Interstate! And it produces FIVE units of energy for every ONE unit needed to grow, harvest, and refine it.
Corn is a stop-gap. Crops like swithgrass are the real future. There is only a bit of technology to be developed to get swithchgrass ethanol out there.
We in the US tend to think of ethanol as a new and unproven fuel. Actually, that's not true, but I will have to resort to a very politically incorrect example to prove this fact. You see, Hitler's war machine had no domestic oil to run it. So, it resorted to ethanol blends, even before WWII started. All of the tanks, dive bombers, and fighter planes that took over Eastern Europe were powered by something like E85. So were the bombers and fighters in the Battle of Britton. So was Germany's war machine that tried and failed to take over Russia, and tried and failed to repell the Allies after D day. We defeated them, thank God, but it was not because they lacked fuel. They achieved energy independence via ethanol.
So this is an example of two countries that have achieved energy independence via ethanol. Brazil is a recent example of a country at peace that did it. Germany over 60 years ago is an example of a country at war that did it.
We don't need to mandate that anybody buy and use it. We just need to encourage more flex fuel (E85) vehicles. The car makers are already producing more of these, due to the mandate from Brazil. A few more car models made flex fuel, and a few more ethanol refineries, and we will be on our way. And then, we can tell SW Asia to go to --- well you know where!
All this being said, I wouldn't want traditional gasoline to go away anytime soon. Our current problem is that we have to import about 30% of our oil to take care of our demand. To stop this, we would need only 35.30% of our people driving E85 flex fuel vehicles and actually using E 85. This would benefit those who chose or needed traditional gasoline, because where do you think the price of a barrel of crude is going when we are not at the mercy of the international market? It is going down, and fast!
Who will buy E85? Me, for one. My Mercedes will burn it. All tests on such flex fuel vehicles show that they are FASTER on E 85. Yep, they get lower gas mileage, but the target wholesale price for ethanol in the refinery I bought a piece of is $1.22 per gallon. When we get enough ethanol refineries going, the cheaper price for E85 will more than make up the difference, and you guys who want to keep using traditional gasoline will benefit from lower prices too. It's just a win-win deal.
Ethanol, even from a high yield feedstock such as swithgrass, is but a stop-gap measure in itself. We must encourage, and wait for, the energy efficient technology to extract hydrogen out of sea water (plentiful) to power fuel cell vehicles. Hydrogen can be chemically converted to electricity in these vehicles (Honda is already testing one) which can power electric motors to drive the car. Is this the end of the enthusiast's car? No, it is the beginning! No transmission is needed, so the cars can be lighter in weight than current cars. Big sedans can weigh less than 3,000 lbs. electric motors of 200 hp can be mounted to power each of the four wheels. Folks, that is 800 hp! Times of 0 to 60 in 2 seconds will not be uncommon.
Let's Roll!