WECIV

To use corn as a fuel...we would have to double our corn crops (meaning many things would not get grown we need) and import food. Corn for fuel is not the way to go.

W

OSUBraden

Vote for and elect the right President and guess what happens to rising CAFE standards?

Bye

Scoggin Dickey

iTrader: (34)

What's so wrong with doubling our corn crops? There is plenty of land owned by plenty of people who would love to get into an almost failsafe market such as that would become if we were to achive a mostly corn-gas market. Not to mention it could help get rid of alot of CRP land that should have crops growing on it but doesn't because the farmers get paid not to grow anything there.

ChaseSS

iTrader: (17)

thats very true, we have a lot of CRP on our land, our neighboring farm has that switch grass stuff which is supposed to be more efficient that corn

SchultzLT1

iTrader: (5)

Pointless.

The current mark-up on FlexFuel and Hybrid cars negates the cost of gas. You either pay the extra $$ on your monthly car payment, or you pay it in gas. Your choice.

I noticed this when I was looking at a Honda Civic. I could either buy a newere Civic (~14,000-15,000) or I could buy a newer Civic HYBIRD (~19,000-20,000). Ok sweet, so I save a lil on gas, but I'm spending it for the car anyways so who gives a **** if I get better mileage. I don't care if I polute the air a little more if I am saving myself $5,000.

When a eco car becomes the standard and not a reason for a mark-up I'll buy one.

Scoggin Dickey

iTrader: (34)

It's not just about the cost of gasoline, is about exhaustion of those resources that causes the price increase

BAD2000TA

iTrader: (6)

Yep, totally agree. I've always wondered why people think that electric cars are the solution. Don't people remember all the problems with the electric grid issues and brownouts. If everybody had an electric car and plugged in at night to charge-up, this country would blow a circuit! The electric companies still mainly use coal, oil, and natural gas to generate electricity. Since there are soooo many freaks that oppose nuclear energy, this isn't going to change for a long time. Electric cars need electricity. Where's is going to come from?

Now, what I think should be researched is hydrogen powered vehicles. BMW has been working on this for a while. They have a 7 series converted to run on hydrogen and it still performs like a gasoline powered vehicle. The advantages of hydrogen are clean burning (water is the byproduct) and strong energy content. The disadvantages are storage of compressed hydrogen at extreme cold.

My thoughts are to work on a conversion processor to take ordinary water and distill the hydrogen out and inject in the engine. That way, you fill up on water, eliminate the need for dangerous hydrogen filling stations, and no storage within the car itself. This way, we still would have our internal combustion engines. BMW also has shown the ability on their 7 series test vehicle to switch between gasoline and hydrogen. The car runs on both and nothing would need to be modified to accomplish that.

So, if the need arises, maybe this technology will start getting the funding that's required. But, like everything, until it's needed, the research doesn't get done.

MadIceV8

iTrader: (12)

Ya I read a good article a while back how electric cars are actually the most harmful cars. One reason was stated above by BAD2000TA. Another reason I remember was the amount of money and fuels burned just to create the battery for the car negated the amount of fuel they saved over I believe a 30yr span. I'll try to find it.

2002_Z28_Six_Speed

iTrader: (19)

Not everyone is against nuclear power. ANO just got renewed and everyone thought it wasn't going to happen.

You might be right that the grid may need upgrades if a TOTAL replacement of gas vehicles was implemented but I figure we will be ok if it is gradual. Most generators aren't at 100% operational cap. It costs too much per kilowatt to do that.

BTW the average car would need about 55kW of power under WOT acceleration. Just for reference.

1994Z28Lt1

iTrader: (1)

the only problem is where does this hydrogen come from that could supply enough volume cheap enough?

currently the cheapest way that hydrogen is produced is called steam reforming using methane gas... methane is a fossil fuel which is also a greenhouse gas, didn't solve issue of independence from fossil fuels and didn't do anything to help with greenhouse gases.

how about electrolysis to produce hydrogen? uses electricity, still using fossil fuels... sorry

unlesss we build a huge infrastructure of windmills and solar panels to produce this electricity we're still in square one.

who ever comes up with a cheap way of producing hydrogen will be a very rich person

2002_Z28_Six_Speed

iTrader: (19)

Also, just for reference you are looking at a ten year lifespan with a photovoltaic cell. The process to manufacture them uses a lot of harmful chemicals. Before you think it is all over though consider that the first cars were steam and electrical because no one thought IC engines worthy.

DrkPhynx

You totally missed the point. Your argument is analogous to the Mac user. Sure, their systems are generally more stable (though only slightly) and don't suffer the upgrade madness of real computers, but they pay for it on other ways. (real computers suffer their problems because of their very flexibility and need to be upgraded because they are being so heavily utilized, but the point is you HAVE that flexibility and CAN upgrade (or repair) them without having to toss and replace the whole system)

It's the same everywhere. Integration is normally a bad thing. The point is that those gas cars COULD replace all those bits and pieces. What happens with the electric when it does break? Large pieces have to be replaced because they can't be repaired (kinda like how if you had an all in one motherboard with no expansion slots and the video or NIC died, you have to dump all the good parts and spend a lot more money).

Take note of just how often batteries die and how expensive they are (and I mean rechargables, like your cordless or cell phones). Once the warranty runs out you will be faced with HUGE repair costs and no re-sale value. Thus, you have to keep buying new cars all the time.

And as mentioned, you spend a few hundred bucks on a sound gas burner and you can drive for a decade before you reach the buy-in cost of the electric.

ICE is the way to go, you just need to improve on the vehicle it's housed in and run other fuels. Electrics are a dead end pushed by those who haven't really thought it out, and those who wish to profit because of it.

DrkPhynx

Modern diesels are clean burning. You are talking about old diesel fuel and engines. They have come a long way.

Not only are they cleaner burning with proper oil, they can run on non-petro based fuels, they don't have an octane limit to the amount of compression or boost that you can run, and the technology of them in performance applications has ALSO come much further than you realize.

Audi won with a diesel powere Le Mans prototype. Audi has plans to put a diesel in the R8. Gale Banks has run a Duramax diesel truck into the 7s (7.96@167.34), a Cummins diesel Dakota over hte salt at 222mph, and is currently road racing another Duramax diesel truck. He's working on aluminum block technology and increasing rev range (which is already better than you suggest).

Those speeds and ETs do not suggest a lack of fun for enthusiasts.

davidadavila

i think the biggest problem in the us is huge cars driving with only one person commuting everyday, lack of a good public transportation sytem, no real incentive for commuters, and huge unneccesary vehicules on the freeway.......i lived in south america where its supposely a third wourld contry there was transportation anywhere at any time busses pass with a interval of 10 min anywhere and buses are just alowed to use specific roads and certain times lowering traffic congestion 50 percent of people dont have cars because the transportation is so efficient......i know for sure that if transportation was that efficient here i would take the bus to work everyday....... they should have vehicules like the smart etc more efficent cars on the rode for DAILY USE AND COMMUTING......SO WE CAN HAVE FUN WITH OUR CARS ON THE WEEKENDS

LivingCanvas

iTrader: (4)

Hey did you guys just see Chicken Little come running through here? He was screaming something about the sky falling.......

DrkPhynx

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poCsdMrm998

He is just sick. lol Part 1 of that is on there too and good as well, but this is the one where he's talking about diesels and his current projects.

WECIV

Electric cars are only a useable idea if.....we have plenty of nuclear, wind, and solar power. Then they are a good idea.

W

SLP LS1

Awesome!!!

I'm ready to kill some of you f$@kers!!!

j/k

Mid

Blame the stupid greedy ******' oil companies....It's all their fault gas is so pricey

And people need to stop banging so much (too many people to live comfortably)

bessie

Taking responsibility for one's actions. I agree with you there.