Alternative Fuel

It is interesting to me- the battles that are going on in the world of Alternative Fuels vs. Gasoline.  There are 3 major philosophies from the World’s leading auto manufacturing countries- Germany, Japan and the United States of America.  Basically, everyone agrees that we depend too much on oil and gasoline and diesel prices are ridiculous. 

Germany is calling for more Diesel, the Japanese want to promote Hybrid technology and the American auto-makers are pushing Ethanol.  We are at a crossroad right now in the fuel industry, and it will be interesting to see who wins.  Just like HD and Blue Ray just settled their mega-battle, with Blue Ray (Sony) winning, fuels are about to undergoe the same intense and product altering battle.  Which Alternative fuel source will become the primary source for the future?

American manufacturers favor ethanol, which has plenty of problems.  E100 (100% ethanol) has 34% LESS energy than gasoline and E85 (85% ethanol) has 29% LESS energy than gasoline.  So, in other words, you have to burn 29% MORE E85 than gasoline to go the same distance in your car.  That more than offsets the somewhat cleaner burning argument, and it also requires MORE fuel.  Neither of those outcomes solves any environmental problems, they make them WORSE.  And, unless they are going to charge 29% less for E85 than gasoline, it will cost you MORE.  Also, with corn being the primary source for E85, farmers are having to charge more for food grade corn and other crops.  Food is more expensive.  Farmers are increasingly using their land to grow corn for ethanol, not food crops.  Ethanol is not the solution in my opinion.  It’s a political ploy and a BAD idea.

Germans belive that Diesel is the future, and many experts agree.  Diesel is more efficient than Ethanol and there are already plenty of Diesel pumps throughout the country.  The problem is Diesel now costs more than gasoline.  Which is ridiculous as it’s much cheaper to produce.

The Japanese are betting on Hybrid technology.  Japan has had a considerable influence on the auto industry for the past 30 years, so they are a serious player.  Both Germany and US automakers are producing Hybrids, in addition to their Diesel and Ethanol cars… just in case.  Plug in cars should be here in about 2 years (from Toyota and GM), with Hydrogen powered cars taking much longer to bring to market.

Until we come up with a clear winner, we will do just fine with gasoline.  We continue to get more power and fewer emissions and better efficiency out of good old gasoline.  It will be fun to see who wins, but until then, gasoline remains a good choice. 

Tags: alternative fuel, auto, autos, blue ray, dad, dadsworld, diesel, efficiency, electric cars, emissions, fuel efficiency, gas, gas mileage, gasoline, germany, hd, hybrid cars, hydrogen fuel, japan, mom, sony, usa