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Surfergal
05-16-2005, 05:53 PM
Seven alternative fuels are cheaper than gasoline or diesel.
All make better ecological sense than oil, and are domestically produced.

http://www.renewableenergyaccess.com/rea/news/story?id=26797

Cleaner Fuel Vehicles Saving You Money in America

Imagine driving the car of your dreams. Now realize the engine in this vehicle cleaning the air as you drive. Visualize the fuel for your automobile costing less than what you pay today for gasoline. Picture your motor lasting longer than any you have ever had before. Now think about filling your tank with a fuel that does not require hostility, greed or fear. This is not a dream. Right now this is reality, and I am going to share some of my knowledge to help you chose the best fuel for you today and tomorrow.

I want you to be able to use a locally produced fuel that decreases your transportation cost and reduces airborne emissions. Why pay more for dirtier, life threatening oil from foreign sources?

I know of seven "alternative" fuels that people use today that can all be obtained at less cost than gasoline or diesel. All of these options contribute to the good health of our economy, and of Earth's inhabitants.

Propane has been used successfully in gasoline engines as a motor fuel for decades. Its price used to be much cheaper before current taxes. Most all of the country can enjoy this slightly cleaner than gasoline fuel at a lower cost than premium unleaded. As of October, 2004, Dallas had the highest propane prices at $1.93 per gallon of gasoline equivalent (g.g.e.) Billings, MT reported the lowest price at $1.22 per g.g.e.

Propane can also be used to boost performance of compression ignition engines. Pilot point ignition of propane on top of diesel or biodiesel increases combustion. This will provide more horsepower while reducing exhaust gas emissions. This is great for saving time and money while towing heavy loads.

Biodiesel is an amazing replacement for diesel fuel, because it can be used directly without any modifications. Biodiesel can be produced from any fatty ester such as fresh plant oils, animal fat or used cooking oils. When mixing these oils with the proper amounts of methanol, or ethanol and lye, an individual can produce their own fuel for as little as $0.70 cents per gallon. Biodiesel can be purchased at commercial fuel stations and regional co-ops around the country right now. Dallas has the lowest price B-20 (20% bio, 80% petro) for $1.72 per gallon and Honolulu sells B-100 for $2.15. For anyone driving a vehicle that requires diesel, biodiesel is clearly the alternative. Among the many advantages of this non-toxic fuel is the fact that it is produced by American farmers. In some engines, especially the older, dirtier, more worn in ones, biodiesel reduces friction. This can provide increased horsepower and miles per gallon while reducing visible smoke and nasty smell.

Surfergal
05-16-2005, 05:56 PM
page 2

Another option for compression ignition engines is straight veggie oil, (SVO) from raw, virgin oil. Or waste veggie oil, (WVO) from the grease traps of the nation. This stuff straight, or filtered is not the same as biodiesel, but is what Rudolph Diesel designed his engine to run on which debuted at the Worlds Fair in Paris, 1900. Talk about cheap fuel, some restaurants will pay you to haul away their waste oil, so you can actually get paid to fill your tank!

Going back further to Germany in the mid 1800s, a man named Nicolaus Otto developed a cycle to run what we now know as the 4-stroke internal combustion engine (ICE). Although there were a variety of fuels available to run this new engine on, Otto chose producer gas. Producer gas, also called Towns gas or lamp fuel is basically carbonated hydrogen. Otto chose this fuel not because of its wide availability, but because it was safer than the new alternative. Benzene was then the new alternative and is now what we know as a component of gasoline.

Today we have two different kinds of hydrogen available for use as a motor fuel. Both renewable and non-renewable forms of hydrogen come with many different names to describe them. The least desirable H2 is what I call "caged" hydrogen. This could be considered "dirty" hydrogen made from non renewable sources. This "black" hydrogen is available from a low of $4.50 per kilo derived from grid powered electrolysis, to a high of over $100 per kilo from the steam reformation of methane. A kilo of hydrogen has almost exactly as many BTU's as a gallon of gasoline. However, when hydrogen is burned in an internal combustion engine (H2ICE), you can expect roughly twice as many miles per kilo as you would get miles per gallon. This makes the cost of dirty hydrogen anywhere from 2x times, up to 50x times the cost of gasoline.

The good news is we have a clean, green and renewable source of hydrogen at much lower cost. When hydrogen is produced through electrolysis of water using renewable, or solar, electricity, we get what I call "free-range" hydrogen. At Arizona Public Service, in downtown Phoenix, they offer "green" hydrogen for $2.25 per kilo. This breakthrough allows motorists to operate their vehicle for one-half the cost of gasoline. Solar-derived hydrogen is the cleanest fuel available. Hydrogen not only keeps your engine oil clean, but burning it can produce cleaner air out the tailpipe than the air we breathe in any metropolitan city.

Methane is another fuel that has two distinct varieties. Most of the natural gas used for vehicles today, whether liquefied at cold temperatures, or compressed to high pressure comes from oil wells and coal mines. Although this supply is finite, natural gas in Utah is .91 cents per g.g.e. today. At that price, CNG is less than half the cost of gasoline!

Natural gas does have greatly reduced exhaust emissions when burned in an engine. Since this fuel is so clean, the oil in your engine stays clean a lot longer and can increase the life of your engine. This reduces maintenance costs which in the long run can save fleet operators and individual's lots of time and money.

There is a very large, untapped source for "renewable" methane in this country. Piling up in feed lots, brewing in land fills and bubbling out of sewage is a usable fuel that would be much better put to use for transportation than allowed to escape into Earth's atmosphere. We can also make bio gas from grass clippings and other decomposing matter. Collecting these gasses and compressing them for use as a motor fuel is easy and inexpensive. This is the clean fuel of choice in Sweden. With renewable natural gas we can support our local farmers, bolster our economy and increase our nation's security. Most of the components that refuel and make an engine burn natural gas are the same components needed to run hydrogen through any engine. By embracing natural gas, we get one step closer to a hydrogen powered future.

Another locally produced fuel we can use right now with these same benefits is ethanol. Today there are millions of flex-fuel vehicles on the road that can use either gasoline, or up to 85 percent ethanol. Although more E-85 pumps are being installed at gas stations everyday, we could use a whole lot more to meet the demand of existing vehicles. When ethanol is produced in large quantities in "energy parks", where multiple industries are using each other's waste, the fuel is efficient and economical. In Columbus, Ohio, a gallon of E-85 sells for $1.43 and the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition regularly promotes E-85 at stations around the nation for .85 cents a gallon.

Individuals can also produce alcohol from a still at their business, school or residence to save money on fuel and reduce their use of gasoline. You do not need a flex-fuel vehicle to use this American made fuel. Just about any car out there, without modification, can use up to 30% ethanol mixed with gasoline. Ethanol can lower tailpipe emissions, but when used in a non flex-fuel vehicle a fuel economy loss of about 10% will result. Depending on the cost of ethanol available to you this can still add up to a savings to your pocket book.

While natural gas is paving the highway to hydrogen, today's electric cars are building a bridge to fuel cell vehicles. There are many capable electric vehicles today. With a charger at home and one at work or onboard your EV, you can be charging your vehicle whenever it is parked. Your fuel cost will depend on the price of electricity available to you. The current electricity market lists New York with the highest price per kilo watt hour at $0.12 cents. West Virginia has the lowest electricity prices at 5.3 cents per kWh. With the current electric vehicle and quick charger station project in Hawaii you do not even have to wait eight hours for a full charge of your EV's batteries. While shopping or taking a lunch break on the island of Oahu, the batteries on an EV can obtain an 80 percent charge in just 20 - 30 minutes! With 11 quick charge stations on the island, EV's are a practical and economical way to travel around this forward thinking community. Electric vehicles also reduce an often overlooked pollution, noise.

The only way to grow demand for these cleaner, safer, healthier and more economical fuels is to let people know about their benefits. Most people do not know these options exist. When in reality they are not new, it is just that we are coming full circle in our fuel choices and returning to the fuels that engines were originally intended to run on. That is why I implore you to join the clean fuel revolution. If you put E85 in your SUV, put a sticker on it too that lets people know you are using less gasoline. If your trade in your car for a CNG vehicle to have the ability to use in the car pool lane with only a single occupant, tell your co-workers about this time and money saving advantage. If you drive a diesel truck, school bus, or big rig, fill it up with biodiesel. Your engine will love it and all the kids breathing the exhaust will thank you. If an EV or neighborhood EV can fit your needs, then use it for errands or short commutes and leave your family hauler parked at home. If you can afford the initial investment to convert your vehicle's engine to run on hydrogen, you will be paid back continually through less expensive "solar" hydrogen and through the do good factor. If you simply must use petroleum, get a hybrid and burn less of it.

schsa
05-17-2005, 06:55 AM
I was aware of vegetable oil. You have to have your engine modified in order for it to run. I don't know how it works but if it becomes more popular, I would go for it. Right now my Honda gets 40 mph highway and 36 city.

The biggest problem is to get it out and available in several outlets so that it is easy as gasoline to purchase.

YNKYH8R
05-17-2005, 07:04 AM
That and what are the Suadis going to export if we no longer need fossil fuels? :rolleyes: :confused:

Jolie Rouge
05-17-2005, 07:17 AM
That and what are the Suadis going to export if we no longer need fossil fuels? :rolleyes: :confused:

sand ??

:D

YNKYH8R
05-17-2005, 08:05 AM
sand ??

:D
LOL! That's the funniest thing you've said all week. I really hope that we do get away from crude oil entirely.

Bush wants us to find away to use crude oil more effectively...yeah right!

I say scrap that crap and let's move into the 21st century.

schsa
05-17-2005, 12:52 PM
We don't buy that much from the Saudi's as much as European nations do but we have a stake in keeping the Middle East as peaceful as possible. And other nations who export petroleum depend on the Middle East to set their prices as well. So when OPEC meets we can be sure that the price of petroleum will be adjusted and chances are it won't go down.

Jolie Rouge
04-29-2011, 08:12 AM
Fryer grease rustling rises due to oil price hikes
David Hendee – Wed Apr 27, 11:16 am ET

OMAHA, Neb (Reuters) – Rises in fuel prices have led to an increase in the number of used fryer grease rustlers roaming restaurant alleys in the United States.

Grease thefts have spiked whenever fuel prices climbed during the last four years and this spring is no different, according to Tom Cook, president of the National Renderers Association. "It's on the rise and it's because of higher oil prices," Cook told Reuters in a telephone interview. "I have one member who told me it's costing his business $1 million a year."

Recyclers typically contract with restaurants to pick up the waste product. The grease is cleaned and sold for use as biofuel, livestock feed and other products. An Omaha recycler has filed theft reports with police in Omaha and Lincoln in Nebraska, and Sioux City, Iowa. Thieves recently stole about 4,200 pounds (1,909 kgs) of used grease from six Lincoln fast-food restaurants.

Processed fryer oil is not trash. It is called yellow grease and is traded. Its value is driven by higher prices of gas and ethanol.

Recyclers and collectors pay restaurants about 18 cents a pound for grease. After further processing, it can be sold for 42 to 45 cents a pound, said Cook, who is based in Alexandria, Virginia.

Yellow grease was trading for less than 8 cents a pound in 2000.

Cook said he plans to conduct an industrywide survey to determine the extent of the losses. Many restaurant owners don't realize what they are losing and local law enforcement agencies have other crime-fighting priorities, he said. One way to curb demand for stolen grease is to alert potential buyers, especially in the feed industry, to only buy from known sources to ensure the product they receive is free of impurities and moisture, Cook said. "The price (of yellow grease) is real good right now," he said, "and those who steal it are really getting a good deal because they're not paying for it."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110427/od_nm/us_grease_rustlers

Jolie Rouge
07-27-2011, 08:03 PM
Obama to announce new fuel economy standards Friday
By Ayesha Rascoe and Deepa Seetharaman | Reuters – 2 hrs 25 mins ago

WASHINGTON/DETROIT (Reuters) - The Obama administration has reached a compromise with automakers on a new fuel economy target for cars and trucks, ending months of negotiations on this pivotal mandate for the auto industry.

Automakers' fleets will now have to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, according to people familiar with the plan.

Chief executives at the major automakers could sign off on the plan as early as Wednesday night, one of the people said.

President Barack Obama will officially announce new guidelines on Friday, the White House said.

The compromise is slightly less than the administration's original proposal for corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standards. But it is a major step up from current standards that require automakers to achieve 35.5 mpg by 2016.

Earlier, the administration had proposed increasing the CAFE target to 56.2 mpg between 2017 and 2025, but that plan ran into opposition from the industry and some lawmakers.

The push to boost fuel efficiency has forced automakers to redesign vehicles and use lighter but more expensive materials. These efforts are likely to raise the cost of vehicles and may pinch automakers' margins.

That has caused resistance from lawmakers in states with a heavy auto manufacturing presence, as well as the United Auto Workers union, which is concerned about jobs.

The new proposal includes average increases in fuel economy of 5 percent for cars and 3.5 percent for light trucks through 2021, with a 5 percent increase for all vehicles after that.

One person said there will be a midterm review that may allow trucks to stay below the 5 percent target after 2021.

STILL IRONING OUT DETAILS

Ford Motor Co spokeswoman Meghan Keck said there are still some issues that need to worked out regarding the new standards.

"We continue to believe that the talks are productive, that there are a couple of details that we're still ironing out and that we hope to be able say more soon," Keck said.

While declining to discuss the 54.5 mpg figure, Toyota Motor Corp spokeswoman Martha Voss said discussions on the new rules have been "positive."

Environmental groups and Democratic leaders have pushed for strong fuel economy standards to lower carbon dioxide emissions and decrease U.S. oil use.

"These new fuel efficiency standards represent the single greatest step our country has taken to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and to encourage a new generation of advanced vehicle technology entrepreneurs," said Representative Edward Markey in a statement.

U.S. passenger vehicles emit about 20 percent of the nation's carbon emissions and consume about 44 percent of its oil, figures show.

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-announce-fuel-economy-standards-friday-002413090.html

comments

see the same tired old comments about how we cant do this and how its going to make cars so expensive, but we had normal production cars in the 1980s getting over 50 mpg, AND WITHOUT HYBRID TECHNOLOGY. Just regular cars. You can look them up on our own governments fuel economy website – fueleconomydotgov. Look up 1985 or 86 Honda Civic CRX HF or 94 Honda Civic VX. Many more that got good MPG. Our own manufacturers sell cars over in Europe that do even better now. Look up Ford Focus Econetic.

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“Automakers' fleets will now have to average 54.5 miles per gallon by 2025, according to people familiar with the plan”

That’s funny. You can’t get that on a motorcycle.

If the “fleet” has to average 54.5 MPG then some will have to get 70-80 MPG to offset those that will only get 25-30.

But we can just “kick the can down the road” and let someone else worry about in 2025.

~~~

Just what I wanted! A car with 18 horsepower that goes 45mph downhill and will get 55mpg!

Jolie Rouge
07-29-2011, 05:36 PM
Obama unveils new car efficiency standards
By Tangi Quemener | AFP – 6 hrs ago

US President Barack Obama on Friday unveiled a new deal with automakers on fuel economy standards that he said would be a crucial step towards reducing US dependence on foreign oil.

Obama -- flanked by the heads of Ford, General Motors and Chrysler as well as chiefs of Honda and Toyota -- said the new miles-per-gallon requirements would help people save money, with gas prices now "killing folks at the pump."

"This agreement on fuel standards represents the single most important step we've ever taken as a nation to reduce our dependence on foreign oil," the US president said in a speech at a convention center in the nation's capital.

"By 2025, the average fuel economy of their vehicles will nearly double to almost 55 miles per gallon," or 23.4 kilometers per liter, he said.

"We?ve set an aggressive target, and the companies here are stepping up to the plate."

The program builds on initiatives unveiled in May 2009 that were aimed at both increasing gas mileage and decreasing greenhouse gas pollution for new cars and trucks -- the first such policy at the national level.

By 2016, the fleet average fuel consumption for US vehicles will be raised to 35.5 miles per gallon from the 25 miles per gallon seen in 2009.

Most passenger cars must reach 39 miles per gallon by 2016, and light trucks must satisfy fuel consumption regulations of 30 miles per gallon.

The companies joining Obama for Friday's announcement put some of their most fuel-efficient models on display for the occasion.

US gasoline prices have nearly reached historic levels since the start of the year due to market jitters over popular revolutions in oil-producing states across the Middle East and North Africa including Libya.

Obama said gasoline was "just another added expense when money is already tight" and while he acknowledged high prices were "not a new problem," he also admitted there was "no quick fix to the problem."

The president's approval rating has slumped as Americans face tough times, with the economy slow to recover and unemployment still high in the wake of the recession that ended in 2009.

Obama said the new efficiency standards would push automakers to develop new hybrid products and engine technologies, noting: "That means new jobs in cutting-edge industries all across America."

He paid tribute to what he called the "extraordinary progress" of the "Big Three" US automakers, two of which -- GM and Chrysler -- were saved by the government in 2009.

"After a period of painful restructuring, with the federal government lending a helping hand to two of the Big Three American automakers -- we?re seeing growth and a rise in sales, led by vehicles using new, more fuel-efficient technologies," Obama said.

"That tells us that these standards are going to be a win for consumers, for these companies, for our economy, for our security, and for our planet."

http://news.yahoo.com/obama-unveils-car-efficiency-standards-174502309.html

comments

What a guy! Simply declare 54mpg a goal and then leave it up to industry to reach it while you take all the credit for being an environmental president.

~~~

wow, the auto industry got a real break on this one, no wonder it was approved. not that it will matter because gas will be $16.00 a gallon and the cars will list price starting at $75,000.

~~~

The President shut down Yucca Mountain to appease the anti-nuclears. He also shuts down oil drilling but calls for energy independence. He calls for compromise as long as Democrats get their way. He is the two-headed, two brained, two-mouthed president. He is not going to ride in a little bitty car.... he rides in "the Beast".

~~


".....gas prices now "killing folks at the pump."

Funny, Bush was slammed when gas prices rose but Obama uses it as a talking point.

The "mainstream news media" is so silly.