Ethanol Questions Fuel a Pushback Over Regulation Changes
Reader Comments
ethanol sucks butt
cause i said so
ethanol is a massive rip off
we had the chance to have hybrid cars in the 90s when clinton had the big3 make prototypes. the problem was and still is that big oil and the Saudis would take a major hit . the program got killed in the US but honda and toyota who worried about market share kept working on it and produced excellent hybrids .we got greedy corn producers who pushed ethanol with corn even though its clearly not the best choice for Biofuels . ,its a waste of tax payer dollars at this point and it should be shut down . there is little chance of that when Obama comes from the state of Ill a major corn belt state . the real savings for this country would have come from hybrid electrics and pure electrics with the latest battery tech & changes in MPG standards.these programs got killed because it would cost the likes of ADM Exxon Saudis billions! these companies expect a $ return from the elected tools ! ethanol is a joke ! your paying almost twice as much compared to Oil when you factor in the resulting higher food cost! The corn lobby is stealing your tax money demand an end to ethanol
Snippets
About 20% of the corn in the US is made into ethanol. It takes about one barrel of oil to make 1.1 barrels of ethanol (it takes fuel to run farm equipment and to make the stuff). Ethanol attracts water and can't be shipped in pipelines, so it must all be trucked around to refineries to blend it in. The efficiency of ethanol is something like 70% of gasoline (less BTU's). If we grew sugar cane like Brazil maybe things would be different but we don't. So bottom line is this is just another Government feel good waste of corn (food).
Ethanol is still bad.
Instead of worrying about ethanol maybe its time the people stood up and demanded alternative fuel methods. Its complete b/s that our whole economy is based on oil. Many people do not realize that there have been 2 separate H2o engines designed that worked but of course we don't see those because then the oil titans would lose all their undeserved money. Henry Ford also designed an automobile made entirely out of hemp and hemp fuel to power it. It scored better in crash ratings than other cars of his era. However because of the out-of-place cannabis laws he was not allowed to mass produce. All I ask is that you open your eyes. I am sure that I am not the only American thinking this way and its time we stood up for ourselves. We are a country of the people, for the people and by the people. And yet America has lost its way.
Ethanol thoughts
Cars that have been run on gasoline for an estended time accumulate varnish and sludge which ethanol may dissolve or break loose and plug the fuel system, thereby cleansing the sysstem and raising your ire, understandably. A clean system or one only slightly corrupted will run cleaner and probably last longer.
Ethanol is generally cheaper than gasoline at the wholesale level and its inclusion in a blend lowers the cost to the retailer. The regular blend and regular probably cost $,15 to $.20 less because of ethanol availability to the monopolistic oil industry.
We spent near $700 billion per year for imported fuel recently which may have been a greater hemorrhage than the stock market crash, the housing market bubble. or the liquidity crisis over the last 40 years since we reached our peak domestic production--and it appears the decline is irreversible.
It reportedly takes 1.2 units of energy to bring one unit of petroleum energy to your gas tank.
The cost of gasoline is probably much more than twice the cost of ethanol in retail price and taxes when international relations (wars and military support). subsidies to the oil companies, tax exemptions, special provisions for the oil companies, and other considerations which I'm only vaguely aware of.
Transitions of ingrained attitudes and habits are painful, but sometimes necessary. I hope we make this one of anticipation and pleasurable expectancy.
small engines
This doesn't address the small engines of lawnmowers, 4-wheelers, etc, that do not suggest using ethanol at all. In fact
older Briggs & stratton 2-20hp engines have a part in the carb that corrodes from ethanol. Yes there is the higher octane gas which is more expensive and has no ethanol, but I'd rather see straight 87 octane gas available too.
Gas
Should California consider a fee on corn fuel ethanol use?
* * Lower price for food, gas, water, beer, cleaner air and funds for the budget from oil profit.
Alcohol fuels
Ethanol mixes with water, petroleum does not. Ethanol as a gasoline additive at a small percentage is not usually difficult to deal with, it can be one way to marginally raise octane. It tends to drop out of suspension with gasoline- one car fueling in the morning when the tank has not been disturbed could get 40% alcohol. Another motorist refueling in the busiest time of day may only get a 5% alcohol percentage. Ethanol at 100% is a good fuel but I don't like it in gasoline. I feel much of this push to gas-o-hol has been sold by the farm lobby- not science. There are many drawbacks--Corrosion, poorer milage, higher pollution. Every fuel has a heat value, alcohol is less than gasoline. You must burn more of it to get the same amount of power.
E does not equal M
Thanks to others for the correction regards Ethanol/Methanol. Amazing what a little dyslexia can do. Which all goes to show that a college education is not protective against idiocy. I was in fact surprised reading that when I got the car; it didn't make a lot of sense and was aware that Indy cars run on ethanol (or was that Methanol :), but it IS a German car... Opel. The other GM.
Which is all not to say I think corn-based ethanol is a good idea... , but I am glad to know I'm not screwing up my engine which was built in England, by the way. So is the Catera an AMERICAN car?
