Quote:
|
Originally Posted by DEI37
The makeup of ethanol carries less energy per gallon than gasoline does. As a result, you make less power, and get less miles per gallon of the fuel. It is not really a good fuel, and isn't going to make much difference in anything. Personally, just use gasoline. In the end, it CAN be cheaper.
|
You're right about energy per gallon favoring gasoline, but when you say it isn't a good fuel and isn't going to make much difference, I think that can change. Regardless of miles per gallon, we really care more about cost per mile, both for the car and in a global economic sense; so if the cost per mile becomes less than what it is/will be for gasoline or other fuel, then it will become a good choice. If/when they figure out how to make ethanol from cheap bio sources like perennial grasses, scrap wood products, other sources of cellulose, etc. instead of expensive stuff like corn, or to a lesser extent even soybeans, then ethanol will become economically viable.
Not that I believe everything they say, but this report by Argonne National Laboratory has some good charts summarizing their research/point of view and shows a highly favorable future for ethanol ...but not when made from corn
http://www.transportation.anl.gov/pdfs/TA/347.pdf
In the end, now that I think of it, one day we will probably be able to run Ferrari's on cellulose scraps from olive groves.