With the recent run up in gas prices and the lingering war in the Middle East, there has been talk of renewable energy sources to power our cars and trucks. Ethanol, a biofuel, can be produced not only from corn, but sugar cane, switch grass, and wood. And using it, instead of gasoline, decreases the amount of pollutants a car emits. But the question remains, “Are there any cars that can run on it?” Recently, Brazil introduced flex fuel vehicles. These vehicles can run both with ethanol, gasoline, ethanol and gasoline in any blend. So these vehicles can be used anywhere. For more information about this story and for in-depth analysis of alt-fuels and alt vehicles visit TheAutoChannel.com.
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TheAutoChannel says:
May 4, 2012 at 1:44 am (UTC 0)
@redhat123456789
Ethanol is sort of a joke, but the butt of the joke is you and others like you who believe the lies and gross distortions spread by the oil-gasoline industry, as you set forth in your earlier message. Ethanol always was, and always will be a better, safer, cheaper, more environmentally friendly engine fuel than gasoline will ever be.
You, you’re just a dumb schmuck.
TheAutoChannel says:
May 4, 2012 at 1:59 am (UTC 0)
You have absolutely no…NO…idea of what you are talking about. None. In other words, zero true facts. You are devoid of any knowledge with any ring of truth to it.
Oh yeah, did I say that you don’t know what you are talking about?
IndyFan53 says:
May 4, 2012 at 2:35 am (UTC 0)
@ReasonDefender. My car is already fuel flexible. I make my lawn mower run on it by priming it a few extra times. It doesn’t always start right away, but to avoid that, I either use a little STP with the fuel or run the mower on a 50/50 blend is gas and E85.
IndyFan53 says:
May 4, 2012 at 3:07 am (UTC 0)
@ReasonDefender
ReasonDefender says:
May 4, 2012 at 3:15 am (UTC 0)
Do you need to make any adjustments to your vehicle or lawn mower in order to use ethanol?
joralebedev says:
May 4, 2012 at 3:20 am (UTC 0)
The problem with flex fuel vehicles is that they don’t take advantage of the higher octane that ethanol has (105-107 vs. 80′s-90′s for gasoline) by using higher compression engines. If they did that, the efficiency difference between the two fuels would shrink considerably. This compression vs. octane concept is one of the most basic in internal combustion engine technology yet you never hear it mentioned with regards to ethanol… why is that?
IndyFan53 says:
May 4, 2012 at 3:44 am (UTC 0)
I run my car and my lawn mower on ethanol and I have no issues with it. It would be great if we use more celluose to make this fuel. They also plan to build a pipeline system for it, which would make it more accessible.
rllang01 says:
May 4, 2012 at 4:37 am (UTC 0)
If it is true that ethanol takes more energy than it produces then the oil companies would be in favor of it. because they would be selling more of their product.
mikehanoo33 says:
May 4, 2012 at 5:20 am (UTC 0)
In fact, its oil that has a negative EROEI. Because oil is both the raw material and the energy source for production of gasoline, it comes out to about 20% negative. Thats just common sense; some of the oil is itself used up in the process of refining and delivering it (from the Persian Gulf, a distance of 11,000 miles in tanker travel).
mikehanoo33 says:
May 4, 2012 at 6:09 am (UTC 0)
The most exhaustive study on ethanols EROEI, by Isaias de Carvalho Macedo, shows an alcohol energy return of more than eight units of output for every unit of input—and this study accounts for everything right down to smelting the ore to make the steel for tractors.
aaronready1 says:
May 4, 2012 at 6:47 am (UTC 0)
i’ve been driving my 93 dodge dakota with NO conversion for the last six months on 60% ethanol (which is 50 cents cheaper where i live) and my truck runs great with it! quieter, smoother. And the ethanol is produces in my state. Check out David Blume…he’s the man…
switchgrassfuel says:
May 4, 2012 at 7:21 am (UTC 0)
I thought corn was overproduced and need subsidy wen it got to lo costing way more than the money they give to oil companies to subsidies ethanol. but I am not a fan of subsidies. I think if you subtract all subsidies for oil and ethanol ethanol is cheaper. the volt car on a full charge is suppose to go only 40 miles, a couple of gallons of ethanol has more energy stored in it than that for a car that size. now i am a big fan of electric also but it might need some help.
proaudiohd says:
May 4, 2012 at 7:50 am (UTC 0)
- Imported Saudi oil is great at 40:1. Tar sand is not very good, at about 2:1. But corn ethanol is far worse.. not even breakeven. We expend more than a barrel of oil to get a barrel of ethanol. It’s only subsidized to help the corn farmers. Even corn for food is so energy intensive it has to be subsidized for the farmer to break even. We are just pumping petrochemicals onto dead soil. Electric cars are MUCH more efficient, and the fuel sources more diverse.
switchgrassfuel says:
May 4, 2012 at 8:45 am (UTC 0)
it doesn’t take more energy to make ethanol than it produces. that is just BS that oil companies want you to believe.
switchgrassfuel says:
May 4, 2012 at 9:37 am (UTC 0)
i take it you have never looked into tar sands if you think ethanol is the worst.
TheAutoChannel says:
May 4, 2012 at 10:13 am (UTC 0)
Your information is totally incorrect. We are LOL at you.
emforty2 says:
May 4, 2012 at 10:35 am (UTC 0)
growing plant for biofuel will just switch the pollution to the land[soil] and water instead of the Air.
pick your choice petrol or biofuel you ain’t gonna win.
btw cars are only 20~30% efficient the 70% of energy is used[ converted] to heat and gets blown out of the tailpipe and the rest the heating of the radiator coolant LOL !!
fieldman07 says:
May 4, 2012 at 10:52 am (UTC 0)
Corn ethanol does cost more but does sugar and others really compete? I noticed that this vid mentioned taxes and subsidies, and if you tax gasoline enough then of course prices will go up enough that gas will no longer be economical.
So is sugarcane and all really cheaper or were they made cheaper by government intervention?
Please don’t leave any messages on how im a capitalist pig who wants to trash the planet. Im curious and I would really like to know.
miutube474 says:
May 4, 2012 at 11:47 am (UTC 0)
If you’re really worried about the price of food going up, let’s forget corn ethanol and focus on commercial food wastes. All those fries thrown out at McD’s, doughnuts from Dunkin and Crispy Cream, Twinkies that aren’t pretty enough, etc. All ethanol needs is a starch or sugar so it can be made from wastes just as easily as from grain, often easier.
setag54321 says:
May 4, 2012 at 11:49 am (UTC 0)
Okay so cheaper gas, but now I have to pay more for my food. I use food more than fuel, so now I’m getting screwed at both angles. Food prices haven’t dropped either when gas per barrel fell back to normal. Ethanol isn’t GREEN either, look at the foot print to create the ethanol fuel…scam money taxing the people…GOV needs to release FREE ENERGY ideally the water engine, byproduct H2O and Oxygen free electricity, grow own food for free SELF SUFFICENT humans independent & responsible
eifersucht2 says:
May 4, 2012 at 12:03 pm (UTC 0)
turn our food crop into something we can use to drive around with. JEENYOUS EYEDEA
proaudiohd says:
May 4, 2012 at 12:17 pm (UTC 0)
corn ethanol has the worst energy return on energy invested – of any liquid fuel.
proaudiohd says:
May 4, 2012 at 12:41 pm (UTC 0)
thank you! I wish more people were raising this point. Its a total waste of time to bother with the intermediate step of hydrogen. Just put the electricity straight into a battery.
bcubed72 says:
May 4, 2012 at 12:53 pm (UTC 0)
The hydrogen derived from water takes ENERGY to produce…MORE energy than it gives off when burned. That energy has to come from somewhere else…like petroleum?
The much-praised “fuel cell” is just a glorified battery!
seededsoul says:
May 4, 2012 at 1:24 pm (UTC 0)
Yes…when we make it from Corn. Corn Ethanol = a pretty bad idea. However, Brazillian sugarcane ethanol is produced without using a lot of oil in production, it is efficient.
The US needs to stop wasting money subsidizing corn ethanol to satisfy the corn lobby, and instead dedicate that money to research on cellulosic ethanol, ethanol derived from raw plant materials (not from sugar/corn). This will yield a lot more per acre.