Here is an interesting website regarding ethanol. What strikes me as particularly interesting is that the company claims that to make the fuel
requires no fresh water, only seawater. They can use desert or marginal land. The process makes fresh water.
There is more information on their website, but seems like it might be something that work exceedingly well in much of Baja. Would be interested in
hearing comments from other Nomads that are more knowledgeable in biofuels than I am.
[Edited on 6-12-2008 by twogringos]SDRonni - 6-12-2008 at 12:37 PM
I saw a TV show about this stuff while on a cruise recently. It is fascinating and seems too good to be true. If it is, I can hardly wait for it to
begin production! I'm sure the oil companies will do everything they can to block it........Iflyfish - 6-12-2008 at 04:20 PM
Check this one out...150 mpg car..already tested, works great, just need manufacturer to take on the technology or fire up a plant themselves. There
may be light at the end of this very long tunnel.
Wouldn't the actual mpg depend on the vehicle itself? Heck, I'm for just about anything that lessens our dependence on foreign oil....BMG - 6-12-2008 at 09:09 PM
I hope it works out. Sonora is a good place to try it out assuming the algae likes lots of summertime heat. It does sound promising.Iflyfish - 6-12-2008 at 10:41 PM
lencho
The car goes about forty miles on electricity and then uses fuel, so cumulative mileage is 150 mpg as I read it. It has some new sort of battery
system that is lighter weight with better acceleration. It is primarily designed to use around town and plug in at night when the power grid is less
used.
Iflyfishwoody with a view - 6-12-2008 at 10:53 PM
so all of these "plug ins" use more/less? coal powered energy from the local utility than gasoline from the oil company???? and that is eco friendly
how?
it seems that you're trading one form of energy for another. i'm all for not making the arabs richer, however the sound bite media doesn't want coal
fired power plants, no "nucular" facilities, wind power is less than 1%, solar is a joke on a large scale in this country, and geothermal is for the
swedes!
edit: content
[Edited on 6-13-2008 by woody in ob]
Making Electricity
MrBillM - 6-13-2008 at 08:36 AM
As pointed out, Plug-in Electric cars are still running off mostly fossil-Fuels in the U.S. and Mexico. In the U.S., 55 % of that Electricity is made
from Coal.Iflyfish - 6-13-2008 at 01:34 PM
The good news is that there is good research and development happening. Here in Oregon, in todays paper, the story of a guy who is increasing mpg by
30% by pre-heating both gasoline and air before igniting. Interesting stuff on the horizon. The algea idea looks good also, those little suckers grow
FAST!
