How expensive does gas have to get? Alternatives??

[MontyB]

The main reason New Zealand is looking to its dairy industry for alcohol production is that it also helps rid us of billions of litres of waste that would normally be discharged into water ways, the sea or sprayed onto farms so to some degree the efficiencies of the process are less important than the benefits of the clean up.

new zealand is looking at ethanol production at the moment....with our massive dairy industry we could more than half or relience on fossil fuels by using ethanol as a fuel diluter. same horse power and octane....but bugger all actual petrol in it

Hehe it is oddly enough the field I am working on currently.
As I pointed out ealier I actually think methanol is a better option because it is much easier to produce hence the investment in technology is much lower.

 

[Whispering Death]

Inventor fuels car with dead cats

BERLIN, Germany (Reuters) -- A German inventor has angered animal rights activists with his answer to fighting the soaring cost of fuel -- dead cats.

Christian Koch, 55, from the eastern county of Saxony, told Bild newspaper that his organic diesel fuel -- a homemade blend of garbage, run-over cats and other ingredients -- is a proven alternative to normal consumer diesel.

"I drive my normal diesel-powered car with this mixture," Koch said. "I have gone 170,000 km (106,000 miles) without a problem."

The Web site of Koch's firm, "Alphakat GmbH", says his patented "KDV 500" machine can produce what he calls the "bio-diesel" fuel at about 23 euro cents (30 cents) a liter, which is about one-fifth the price at petrol stations now.

Koch said around 20 dead cats added into the mix could help produce enough fuel to fill up a 50-liter (11 gallon) tank.

But the president of the German Society for the Protection of Animals, Wolfgang Apel, said using dead cats for fuel was illegal.

"There's no danger for cats and dogs in Germany because this practice is outlawed in Germany," Apel told Bild on Wednesday in a story entitled "Can you really make fuel out of cats?"

"We're going to keep an eye on this case," Apel said.

Copyright 2005 Reuters. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.








Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/europe/09/14/germany.catfuel.reut/index.html

 

[godofthunder9010]

Damn, here comes the kitty-cat holocaust!

 

[Charge 7]

I doubt it. Can you imagine the smell of that thing? :?

 

[Marinerhodes]

How hard would it be to convert currently used engines over to ethanol?

 

[Charge 7]

Very easy indeed. The Brazilians have a simple adaptation installed at their car factories that is basically just a computer sensor that determines the percentage of ethanol and gasoline (or no gasoline at all) and adjusts the combustion accordingly. It's called a flex-fuel system. You can see more about it here:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5829046/

Google "Brazil" "Car" and "Flex" together and you'll get many more sites with information about it.

 

[ironhorseredleg]

How are we ever gonna change oil policy when we elect oil barons for president? Come on. We're saying that we believe in their views, so why should they change things. We've had dependable, efficient alternative energy sources in the USA for years, but the oil companies drive the auto industry which puts out what sells best, and in America you still don't see a bunch of gas-guzzling vehicles setting around on car lots getting marked down each week. They sell 'em because we buy 'em, and that ain't gonna change on a broad scale until commone, everyday folks force the issue. The only two ways they have of doing that is through voting and purchasing options. We aren't there yet, but if gas is still over $2.00 a gallon in 2007, yea, things might begin to change.

 

[DTop]

Does anyone know if the car that runs on compressed air actually came to market in the UK or has there been much news about it yet?

I posted the details a while ago at http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13403&highlight=

The MDI Air Car is kind of odd looking but it seems like one possibly viable alternative fuel vehicle.

 

[Shadowalker]

Ive never seen or heard of 1 in the uk, i know LPG is becomming more popular here costs about £2000 to convert a diesel engine.

 

[5.56X45mm]

Does anyone know if the car that runs on compressed air actually came to market in the UK or has there been much news about it yet?

I posted the details a while ago at http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13403&highlight=

The MDI Air Car is kind of odd looking but it seems like one possibly viable alternative fuel vehicle.

See folks, that why I LIKE MY AMERICAN MADE STUFF. They just don't look lie Fisher Price toy cars. I swear, that thing looks like the toy that my godson has. It's a plastic car that you sit in and move around with your feet. Just like the Flintstones.

 

[Rabs]

I dont care what they do as far as cars just as long as they leave NASCAR alone.

 

[gladius]

Has anyone heard of the stuff the can make fuel from insect or worm byproducts or droppings?

This might make a good alt fuel source.

 

[DTop]

Does anyone know if the car that runs on compressed air actually came to market in the UK or has there been much news about it yet?

I posted the details a while ago at http://www.military-quotes.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=13403&highlight=

The MDI Air Car is kind of odd looking but it seems like one possibly viable alternative fuel vehicle.

See folks, that why I LIKE MY AMERICAN MADE STUFF. They just don't look lie Fisher Price toy cars. I swear, that thing looks like the toy that my godson has. It's a plastic car that you sit in and move around with your feet. Just like the Flintstones.

Well, we're talking about alternatives to gas guzzlers. If you want us to get out of the cycle of petroleum based fuel dependency then you'd have to accept a lighter, smaller more fuel efficient means of transportation.
I used to own a Chevy Blazer and many years ago, I had my beloved '70 Chevelle SS, but gas was cheap and plentiful in those days. It may just be time to move on.
Besides, I think that car in the pic is just a concept car. You know how far those things can be from what actually makes it to the market place. Maybe our American auto makers could take a tip or two from some of these other car makers and come up with an American made version. Otherwise it's just a continuation of all that oil dependency entails. I'd like to see us break the hold that oil has on us, or at least a loosening of its death grip

 

[ironhorseredleg]

You would think they'd at least put a smile on that van instead of a frown.

 

[Missileer]

Every day, I travel on George Bush tollway(190) to North Central expressway (75) both on which the normal speed is between 75mph and 85mph. I have seen the most horrible wrecks that you can imagine in your worst nightmares. Always, always, in a two to eight car pile, there are at least three or four which are small to mid-size sedans. They never had a chance, either an 18 wheeler or crew cab Dodge Ram takes out everyone in front of them. The body is usually burst open and all the doors, hood, and trunk are gone or unrecognizable. What's left of the people are usually far back at the point of impact with pieces on the windshield. I drive an F-150 stretch cab with a cowpusher bumper because, Thank God, I can afford it and the gasoline. It's not worth saving gas and forfeiting my life in a small, normal car. Europe doesn't have this problem, at least not as bad as the US. Everyone has a long drive and mass transportation isn't, plus they want to get there fast. So a big car is more than an ego thing, it's an armored personnel carrier.

 

[Marinerhodes]

Every day, I travel on George Bush tollway(190) to North Central expressway (75) both on which the normal speed is between 75mph and 85mph. I have seen the most horrible wrecks that you can imagine in your worst nightmares. Always, always, in a two to eight car pile, there are at least three or four which are small to mid-size sedans. They never had a chance, either an 18 wheeler or crew cab Dodge Ram takes out everyone in front of them. The body is usually burst open and all the doors, hood, and trunk are gone or unrecognizable. What's left of the people are usually far back at the point of impact with pieces on the windshield. I drive an F-150 stretch cab with a cowpusher bumper because, Thank God, I can afford it and the gasoline. It's not worth saving gas and forfeiting my life in a small, normal car. Europe doesn't have this problem, at least not as bad as the US. Everyone has a long drive and mass transportation isn't, plus they want to get there fast. So a big car is more than an ego thing, it's an armored personnel carrier.

He does have a point...

 

[DTop]

Yes he does. Most anyone who has to deal with a US highway commute on a daily basis feels the same way. The smaller fuel efficient vehicles would be most practical in urban area or for shorter commutes, at least initially. It would take a huge shift in mindset for Americans to completely give up our larger vehicles. Nonetheless, if you consider how much more fuel efficient our vehicles have already become compared to what they were some years ago, I think that we're slowly improving. It took the gas shortage of the '70s to shake things up so maybe it'll take something similar again (I hope not).
LeEnfield says fuel is $10/gal. in Britain, it's down to $2.63/gal. where I live today. I'd venture to say $2.63 isn't going to prompt any great changes in the way we do things. Now if we had to pay their prices, I might be out shopping for a little frowning gas miser right now

 

[Duty Honor Country]

DTOP and I see eye to eye on this subject

When gas prices hit $3.00, nothing really drastic happened. People started to plan shopping trips to hit a bunch of stores in one run to save gas. Other people said they were "brown bagging" work lunches. Those are not big changes to people's habits. If gas prices were stay between $4 and 5 dollars for a sustained period of time, I think the ball would finally roll. At $4.5 a gallon, a tank of gas would cost about $60 dollars for a car and a hair short of $100 for a full sized truck or SUV. When America starts to pay for a tank of gas with Ben Franklin, that is when people will finally open their eyes.

Doody

 

[Missileer]

As always, and for whatever the cause for high prices, the poor will end up taking it on the chin.

 

[ironhorseredleg]

I heard today that Ford has announced it is dramatically increasing their investment in hybrid technology. They have an intriguing little hybrid SUV out there now.

http://www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/home/






Dang!! I was doing so good I thought and then this post gets me busted from sergeant to 2nd lieutenant