Yeah that's what I would've said. (diesel) It makes sense to me since there have been so many advances in diesel technology, and since there are so many diesel autos in Europe now days. I just hope we get to see a performace side of diesel automobiles, for example 3 or 4 cylinder turbos that make nice power and super torque! But I guess production will all depend on whether there's a demand for it or not. Fuel economy will likely trump performance though.
E85. CARB has been working all sorts of restrictions over the last couple of years to essentially push diesels out of the US market. E85 works like a little alcohol injection for fighting off knock, it's only part gasoline, whereas diesel is still a fossil fuel.
.......well. There are a few forms of synthetic diesel. GTL and coal are already in use in some places. JP-8 is very widely used by our military for example... http://www.bankspower.com/tech_synthetic.cfm http://www.nationaldefensemagazine.org/issues/2002/Mar/Pentagon_Needs.htm Bio-diesel most likely won't cut it because it's just not practical enough for making hundreds of thousands of gallons, but if it could be blended with petroleum and synthetic diesels to work in any diesel engine, it would have a time and place. I see diesel getting more popular since there is already so much useable infrastructure available. E85 could definitely find it's way into more gasoline though.
+1 where as diesel still has 100% of its emissions from fossil fuel, only 15% of e85 emissions will come from fossil fuel, and alcohol emmissions are negligible. the only problem with ethanol is that their is just less energy to be had from burning it...
Yeah. I like hydrogen but we're so far away from it being a widespread option that it's hard to say if it'll even take. GM, Honda and Toyota have put a lot of work into hydrogen powered cars so I hope it doesn't go to waste. And hydrogen is nice to the environment when it comes out of the tail pipe, but making it costs nearly 3 times as much as making gas in time and natural resources.
E85 will take over, look at Brazil, they use E85 so much that they no longer import oil as a nation. That's huge. They make all their own E85 and all the profits stay in their country, not in terrorists hands. The majority of all the cars sold in Brazil are Flex, meaning they can use either gas or E85. Ford and VW are two of the largest car dealers there. E85 is always alot cheaper than gas too. America: Brazil: But, when gas shot up to over $2.50 a gallon, the oil companies gobbled up the surplus E85 and held it, making the price soar to the same or more than gas....making it "unattractive" Damn oil barons. I'm betting money though that when E85 takes off here, the oil companines will try to gobble up rural america so they can regulate the price of E85 and control the market. Monopoly ring a bell? ssh:
Some good points Trey. But Brazil has been at it for over 20 years, which explains why they have the infrastructure to support it (E85). I'd like to see more ethenol as long as it's safe and stuff.
Diesel is still a fossil fuel and it is the nasty byproduct of gasline. It has all the additives and all in it. E85 or hydrogen is where I think the government is hoping to dive into.
I just remembered the classic car factor. Because classic car guys are so attached (and rightfully so) to thier old beauties that they'll always be trying to keep them on the road. So I wonder if the old small blocks and stuff can handle methenol or it there will be conversions and stuff. And not that the same doesn't apply to us. I mean I'm as attached to my Suby as the next guy, but I just figure if diesel is going to get a lot bigger, and it might not, that it would be better to embrace it than to hate it. And you gotta admit it is an effecient way to make torque.
E85 is only cheaper because of the .51 cents a gallon in subsidies and tax breaks the producers get. http://i-r-squared.blogspot.com/2006/04/future-of-e85.html If you take out all the federal taxes and subsidies for both gas and e85 to level the playing field it breaks down like this: Using the prices from the picture in the above post: 2.58 - .18 federal tax for gas = 2.40 1.89 + .51 take away federal subsidies = 2.40 factor in that e85 gets less gas mileage and it wont be competitive solution to gas when the subsidies go away in 2007. I think biodiesel from algae is an alternative. http://www.unh.edu/p2/biodiesel/article_alge.html
I've read about algae bio-fuel before and it looks good in writing, so it could become a reality if enough people get into it. The best part is you can have half a tank of diesel and top it off with bio-diesel with no problems at all. Hybrid diesel-electrics seem like a pretty good idea too considering how efficient they could be.
Not to mention algae is readily available and easy to grow/maintain as long as you have sunlight and food.