| RawAlex |
05-23-2007 01:05 AM |
Quote:
Originally Posted by GatorB
(Post 12471906)
Well answer this. How come no one is concerned about ethenol which is made from CORN. Fact is if every bit of corn was used for ethenol we still wouldn't have enough. And every ear of corn that is used for ethenol drives up the price of corn for FOOD. Who cares if I save 25 cents a gallon on gas of my grocery bill goes up 25%.
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Actually, a rather large number of people are very concerned about this. Already the repercussions have been felt, right down to their being a shortage of corn meal to make tortillas and tacos in mexico (no joke).
Pure ethanol (or even methanol) are not really an answer because they are a negative energy source. However, they are a relatively decent replacement for a previously used chemical that was a known carcinogen that was used in the past to control knock and so on. Ethanol as about 5% of pump gas is economically supportable and very slightly lowers the US requirement for imported oil.
Remember the math: If 50% of the oil is imported, and you use 5% less overall, you can lower foreign sources by 10% (because you would continue to use your own sources to the fullest.
Nathan, you are correct, 1 pound per mile would mean that the car would be carrying 350 pounds of useless weight at all times in order to be able to go 350 miles. That would take about 1 square yard to store (about 3 by 3 by 3) packed in densely. Size wise not so bad, weight wise a real drag on the overall effectiveness of the car. 1 gallon of gas weighs in about 6 pounds, so at 35 miles per gallon (effecient car) you would need about 60 pounds of gas - so the aluminum fillup would be much heavier. Plus, of course, the needed water to do the deal.
In a sense, this sounds like it might be a better engine design for, say, an ocean liner or an oil drilling platform, example. |
