More Alternative Energy
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If you subscribe to this nonsense and actually read it, you'll notice I've pinged alternative energy a few times. My partner, Brian, bought a Honda Hybrid, which he likes. I have to admit that I'm tempted for a minivan when one comes out. There are a few in the works. I'm just dreaming of the day I can take one of my favorite cars, like this one:
or this one
and retrofit it with a fuel cell or even electric hybrid motor.
But until then, it's good to see other fuels being considered and used. Like biomass, which is being used for Ethanol. Unfortunately, like everything else, there's bickering over the money. The corn guys want their by products used, not other plant materials.
I understand that everyone has their business and wants to get paid, but we do need to investigate, sometimes with larger scale trials, alternative methods of producing energy. That means that the corn industry needs to adapt and work with less subsidies, develop better processes, or find another use for corn.
I just need some juice for my new laptop 🙂
Steve Jones
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Maybe we'll find out that the best biomass fuel can be made with tobacco. If the tobacco companies figure out they can replace the oil companies, we may be able to solve multiple problems at once. They won't make cancer sticks anymore because tobacco-gas will be $3.00 a gallon. It'll still be cheaper than $5.00 petroleum-gas
And then again, I might be wrong ...
David Webb -
In the UK 85% of the price of petrol is tax and we are at the £4 gallon (a US gallon is 5/8 of a UK one).
The UK is incredibly bad at infrastructure so unless charging points get set up in places of work and in homes hybrids ain't going to take off.
An alternative to electro-petrol hybrids is petrol LPG. Again infrastructure problems abound but petrol is £0.90 per litre and LPG is £0.30 per litre.
Of course my solution (if the wife would approve it) is to buy a Cannondale Six13 and never have to pay fuel tax, congestion tax, insurance tax, vat tax, tax tax ...etc to the bunch of spendthrift neer do wells that govern us.
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"If you subscribe to this nonsense and actually read it..."
Errmm...it's the only bit I get a chance to read on a regular basis because it is small, concise and generally thought provoking. And goodness knows I need my thoughts provoked first thing in the morning. Keep it up!
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yes, we actually read this nonsense...
Usually because it's interesting and often sheds some light on changes in the database world. Hybrid cars provides an interesting comparison. The car industry drug their feet for years on producing a hybrid. They preferred to invest in *NEW* technologies like hydrogen or LPG which would require an entirely new fuel delivery infrastructure. A pie-in-the-sky impossibility.
Toyota listened and understood customer requests for better MPG without the hassles of electric charging or exotic fuels. They simply added a small electric motor to a lightweight gasoline powered car and ta-da success. Then they proved that people would pay a premium for being green. Here are some details on the sales success of their new hybrid, the Lexus RX400h http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/reviews/healey/2005-04-07-rx_x.htm
I read somewhere else that Toyota had >10,000 preproduction orders for the RX400h and they expect sales of almost 28,000 per year. Wow!
Of course, listening to customers brings success. SQL Server 2005 is a decent example as it looks like it will meet so many customer requests. I've noticed Microsoft has truly changed in regards to meeting with users and cultivating a productive dialog. Hopefully they understand that no one wants to wait until 2010 for the next version of SQL Server..
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LPG wouldn't be that much of a burden to the current infrastructure, it's just a liquid albeit under high pressure. If you are into camping then most towns have an outlet where LPG can be bought.
I think Toyota's success has been due to the fact that it doesn't cost a fortune and is a practical solution. Again, SQL Server is a decent example
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Hi Steve,
The production and take up of Hybrid vehicles is a step in the right direction. What amazes me is why here in the US do we overlook Diesel engines. In Europe now they are getting 50-80MPG. This is with more power and torque than petrol engines. Also Bio-Diesel is taking off, so you can simply run your car on Canola oil. The latest diesels are very close to the emission levels of petrol cars, and would be an excellent stop gap until fuel cells become viable. Companies are now starting to produce hybrid diesels, which offer phenominal benefits.
Mercedes are launching a SL400 Diesel (Doesn't sound like a diesel) next year, which should give you 50MPG and more power and speed than the SL500. Maybe you should put your order in now.
DC
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I agree diesels have a hard time here in the U.S. They deserve a second look especially when cars like the VW Touareg V10 diesel offer 25MPG and incredible performance to boot.
"A Hulk-like, 5.0L V10 TDI diesel will be available in 2004. In its European configuration, it produces 303hp and an astounding 553lb-ft of torque. This engine gets raves in Europe and it’s not difficult to see why. First of all, forget everything you think you know about diesels. This diesel is different. This diesel can push the Touareg to 150 mph and 25 mpg, although not, regretfully, at the same time. "
http://4wheeldrive.about.com/cs/volkswagonreviews/a/aa071803a.htm
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I think the subsidy issue is one of the main problems. Subsidies go to the best lobbiests not to the most promising technology. The government should get out of the subsidy business and let the market drive invention and technology.
Robert
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The problem in the US is that your fuel is incredibly cheap next to European prices.
My Father-in-law bought a small hatchback known as a Skoda Fabia RS. 0-60 in 9.5 seconds doesn't sound fast (having driven the car I would say that 9.5 seconds is understating things quite considerably) but it just keeps going beyond that AND delivers 60mpg. As we say in England, it goes like sh*t off a shovel.
We also have a car called a Westfield http://www.westfield-sportscars.co.uk/. Apart from building one with a engines from a Honda Blackbird motor bike and a Cosworth V8 they also put a diesel engine in one.
One hard-core biking mag said that when a beer-mat with wheels that sounds like a bag of spanners in a washing machine leaves you for dead you have to re-evaluate what it means to be diesel.
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