Quote:
Originally Posted by gpsman1
Well, how many tanks are non-metal? I'm guessing only a few. Is the Prius a rare bird with the "bladder"? ( this is something I know very little about, what's it actually made of? ) Perhaps you refer to the meters or gauges? Well, I'm sure there are some non-metal parts there. In general though, I think all plastics and synthetic rubbers made after the mid-80's are ethanol resistant. I'll find out. I'm boosting to 75% ethanol in my non-flex car this week. I'm also confident that any degredation is a slow process, and the car in general will be worn out in a few years anyway.
How about the reverse? The majority of grapes are used for wine, not food or fuel. ( wine ethanol is nearly the same % as corn fermented ethanol... 12-15% per batch ) Would the world be better with less drunk driver "winos" if we diverted that grape ethanol to our cars? How much wheat and barley goes into beer vs. bread? Do people drink beer in lieu of eating toasted cereal for breakfast? I don't think so. So there's millions of gallons of ethanol that Budwiser makes instead of fuel, and that can be argued it takes away from the food supply. These are just questions to think about. Like my sig. says, I don't have all the answers. But my point is, I hope people look deeper. You can find fault with anything we do.
Thanks for reading. I appreciate the discussion and feedback. -John
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And we can't forget potatoes, yak milk and coconuts. Anything which can be fermented probably has wound up as a beverage.
However, the consumption of any of those are pretty well fixed with I think, in the case of grapes and grains the hybridization has moved to specific strains being used for each purpose. So that let's say, grape grower X grows nothing but wine grapes. While he may be out to expand consumption, he'll never reach the nirvana of having his crop consumed at the rate of 10 g/day by a single individual, with more coming in to buy his output.
Corn production may be down now, but if corn continues to be the source of ethenol in this country, you can bet on increasing consumption. And it's not a gallon or so a week (which would take that consumer out of the market in short order).
So, I have a solution which may or may not be valuable which is to use a cash crop now in disfavor - tobacco.
Who would complain about burning tobacco in our hybrids or what ever? Tobacco farmers could continue to plant it. As tobacco becomes more valuable as a fuel, less will be produced for smoking, chewing and snuffing. I don't know what the fermentation would be like, but assuming any plant can be fermented into alcohol, tobacco would be perfect. And it would be smoked out of doors. Who would care if you had a 12 g habit?
When I'm in the midwest this summer, or perhaps just out of Calif. I'll note the E% of the fuel I'm using in the database. Sorry I didn't do that last year.
I guess I'll wait for that perfect battery pack to arrive. I think that offers me a better option. You can be sure, however I'll not be the first on my block to own one.
Thanks again, John