Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon

[[email protected]]

Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon
There have been many calls for programs to fund research. Beneath the
din lies a little-noticed reality-the solution is already with us

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http://groups.google.ca/group/electricvehicle
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By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek
March 7 issue - The most important statement made last week came not
from Vladimir Putin or George W. Bush but from Ali Naimi, Saudi
Arabia's shrewd oil minister. Naimi predicted that crude prices would
stay between $40 and $50 throughout 2005. For the last two years OPEC's
official target price has been $25. Naimi's statement signals that
Saudi Arabia now believes that current high prices are not a momentary
thing. An Asian oil-industry executive told me that he expects oil to
hit $75 this decade.

We are actually very close to a solution to the petroleum problem.
Tomorrow, President Bush could make the following speech: "We are all
concerned that the industrialized world, and increasingly the
developing world, draw too much of their energy from one product,
petroleum, which comes disproportionately from one volatile region, the
Middle East. This dependence has significant political and
environmental dangers for all of us. But there is now a solution, one
that the United States will pursue actively.

"It is now possible to build cars that are powered by a combination of
electricity and alcohol-based fuels, with petroleum as only one element
among many. My administration is going to put in place a series of
policies that will ensure that in four years, the average new American
car will get 300 miles per gallon of petroleum. And I fully expect in
this period to see cars in the United States that get 500 miles per
gallon. This revolution in energy use will reduce dramatically our
dependence on foreign oil and achieve pathbreaking reductions in
carbon-dioxide emissions, far below the targets mentioned in the Kyoto
accords."

Ever since September 11, 2001, there have been many calls for Manhattan
Projects and Marshall Plans for research on energy efficiency and
alternate fuels. Beneath the din lies a little-noticed reality-the
solution is already with us. Over the last five years, technology has
matured in various fields, most importantly in semiconductors, to make
possible cars that are as convenient and cheap as current ones, except
that they run on a combination of electricity and fuel. Hybrid
technology is the answer to the petroleum problem.

You can already buy a hybrid car that runs on a battery and petroleum.
The next step is "plug-in" hybrids, with powerful batteries that are
recharged at night like laptops, cell phones and iPods. Ford, Honda and
Toyota already make simple hybrids. Daimler Chrysler is introducing a
plug-in version soon. In many states in the American Middle West you
can buy a car that can use any petroleum, or ethanol, or methanol-in
any combination. Ford, for example, makes a number of its models with
"flexible-fuel tanks." (Forty percent of Brazil's new cars have
flexible-fuel tanks.) Put all this technology together and you get the
car of the future, a plug-in hybrid with a flexible-fuel tank.
Here's the math (thanks to Gal Luft, a tireless-and
independent-advocate of energy security). The current crop of hybrid
cars get around 50 miles per gallon. Make it a plug-in and you can get
75 miles. Replace the conventional fuel tank with a flexible-fuel tank
that can run on a combination of 15 percent petroleum and 85 percent
ethanol or methanol, and you get between 400 and 500 miles per gallon
of gasoline. (You don't get 500 miles per gallon of fuel, but the
crucial task is to lessen the use of petroleum. And ethanol and
methanol are much cheaper than gasoline, so fuel costs would drop
dramatically.)

If things are already moving, why does the government need to do
anything? Because this is not a pure free market. Large companies-in
the oil and automotive industry-have vested interests in not changing
much. There are transition costs-gas stations will need to be fitted
to pump methanol and ethanol (at a cost of $20,000 to $60,000 per
station). New technologies will empower new industries, few of which
have lobbies in Washington.

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Besides, the idea that the government should have nothing to do with
this problem is bizarre. It was military funding and spending that
produced much of the technology that makes hybrids possible. (The
military is actually leading the hybrid trend. All new naval surface
ships are now electric-powered, as are big diesel locomotives and
mining trucks.) And the West's reliance on foreign oil is not
cost-free. Luft estimates that a government plan that could accelerate
the move to a hybrid transport system would cost $12 billion dollars.
That is what we spend in Iraq in about three months.

Smart government intervention would include a combination of targeted
mandates, incentives and spending. And it does not have to all happen
at the federal level. New York City, for example, could require that
all its new taxis be hybrids with flexible-fuel tanks. Now that's a
Manhattan Project for the 21st century.


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http://groups.google.ca/group/electricvehicle
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http://www.calcars.org/bettah
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[Ken Smith]

[...]

"It is now possible to build cars that are powered by a combination of
electricity

Those long power cords will cost a bundle and constantly get tangled up.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon
There have been many calls for programs to fund research. Beneath the
din lies a little-noticed reality-the solution is already with us

***************************************************
http://groups.google.ca/group/electricvehicle
***************************************************

By Fareed Zakaria
Newsweek
March 7 issue - The most important statement made last week came not
from Vladimir Putin or George W. Bush but from Ali Naimi, Saudi
Arabia's shrewd oil minister. Naimi predicted that crude prices would
stay between $40 and $50 throughout 2005.

Its really, really easy to make predictions for 2005 in 2006.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Paul E. Schoen]

Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon [snip]
Replace the conventional fuel tank with a flexible-fuel tank
that can run on a combination of 15 percent petroleum and 85 percent
ethanol or methanol, and you get between 400 and 500 miles per gallon
of gasoline. (You don't get 500 miles per gallon of fuel, but the
crucial task is to lessen the use of petroleum. And ethanol and
methanol are much cheaper than gasoline, so fuel costs would drop
dramatically.)

The real problem is the amount of energy we use (and waste), and not so
much the source. I have read that even if all suitable land in the US was
used for crops for methanol production, it would only meet about 20% of our
present needs. We have become spoiled by artificially cheap energy costs,
and the great majority of people have bought into the mentality of
conspicuous consumption, and the use of excessive horsepower on the roads
as compensation for personal inadequacies and frustration with a boring
life.

I'm sure oil companies like to sell as much of their product as quickly as
possible to maximize profits and growth, so they have used sexy advertising
to glamorize powerful vehicles and aggressive driving. Car companies
provide what people want, and until recently that was mostly "bigger and
more powerful". There have always been a small segment of the population
that has sought the noble goals of fuel economy and energy efficiency, but
they have often been ridiculed by the majority.

It will take a huge increase in fuel costs for the average Joe to make
drastic changes in driving habits and vehicles. For most people, gasoline
costs are still only about 3-5% of total budget, and there is a strongly
ingrained emotional barrier to making a major lifestyle change in order to
conserve. I think Dick Cheney said our American Lifestyle was
non-negotiable. We will do whatever is necessary to keep driving
gas-guzzling tanks in a daily rage-laced road race (say that three times
fast!)

So, gasoline consumption is a very inelastic commodity, and prices can soar
without affecting it much. In fact, it might make people more angry, so
they drive faster and more aggressively, using even more fuel. The only
ultimate solution is a change in attitude, and I don't see that coming
anytime soon. We can probably cut our need for foreign oil about 10% by
using ethanol, but we can cut it by 30% or more if everyone would buy and
use an inexpensive and economical second car (preferably used, and help
keep local repair shops in business). Hybrids, plug-in hybrids, and full
EVs are also helpful, but then the auto makers opt for bigger engines and
boastful 0-60 figures, while being proud of maybe 25-30 MPG.

BTW, my 1998 Saturn SL1 averages 36 MPG and can get 45 Hwy, so I have done
my part to reduce my impact on the problem.

Paul

 

[Mark]

BTW, my 1998 Saturn SL1 averages 36 MPG and can get 45 Hwy, so I have done
my part to reduce my impact on the problem.

Paul

My Honda Rebel 250 gets 75 MPG and is more exciting to ride than ANY
sports car.

Mark

 

[John Larkin]

Imagine: 500 Miles Per Gallon

No, I can't. A motorized skateboard won't deliver 500 MPG. A bicycle
won't even deliver 500 miles to a gallon of water.

John

 

[Rene Tschaggelar]

electricity and alcohol-based fuels, with petroleum as only one element
among many. My administration is going to put in place a series of
policies that will ensure that in four years, the average new American
car will get 300 miles per gallon of petroleum. And I fully expect in
this period to see cars in the United States that get 500 miles per
gallon. This revolution in energy use will reduce dramatically our
dependence on foreign oil and achieve pathbreaking reductions in
carbon-dioxide emissions, far below the targets mentioned in the Kyoto
accords."

And they come in the form of a 2.5 ton SUV with electric
windows, aircondition and the lot ? If not they will be
hard to sell.

Rene

 

[[email protected]]

No, I can't. A motorized skateboard won't deliver 500 MPG. A bicycle
won't even deliver 500 miles to a gallon of water.

John

Now that's an interesting idea. Exam question: how many gallons of
corn oil are required to provide the equivalent calories needed to
bicycle 500 miles...?

 

[John Larkin]

Now that's an interesting idea. Exam question: how many gallons of
corn oil are required to provide the equivalent calories needed to
bicycle 500 miles...?

Very roughly, you could maybe bicycle 50 miles a day at a cost of 4000
kcal/day, in mild weather, so something like 40,000 kcal to make the
trip. I could convert that into corn dogs, closest I can come.

John

 

[[email protected]]

Very roughly, you could maybe bicycle 50 miles a day at a cost of 4000
kcal/day, in mild weather, so something like 40,000 kcal to make the
trip. I could convert that into corn dogs, closest I can come.

John

Wow, 80 kCal/mile? You must be bicycling uphill in San Francisco then!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question527.htm says to budget about 34
kCal/mile. (Assuming you weigh 150 lbs, and bicycle at 15 mph...)

Michael

--
"I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the
Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its
existence... What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I
saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those
who disbelieved that there is a hell." - Sister Mary Faustina
Kowalska, 1905-1938; http://www.divinemercysunday.com/vision.htm

 

[John Woodgate]

In message <[email protected]>, dated Fri, 4

Very roughly, you could maybe bicycle 50 miles a day at a cost of 4000
kcal/day, in mild weather, so something like 40,000 kcal to make the
trip. I could convert that into corn dogs, closest I can come.

Most oils and fats go 9 kcal to the gram.

 

[[email protected]]

In message <[email protected]>, dated Fri, 4


Most oils and fats go 9 kcal to the gram.
--
OOO - Own Opinions Only. Try www.jmwa.demon.co.uk and www.isce.org.uk
2006 is YMMVI- Your mileage may vary immensely.

John Woodgate, J M Woodgate and Associates, Rayleigh, Essex UK

Yep. http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/4582.html

I calculated about 0.8 gallons of corn oil needed to bicycle 500 miles
at 15 mph. Cooling water not included. (I guess you *could* exhale
into a radiator-type condenser to recycle water, but that would just be
gross.)

Michael

--
"I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the
Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its
existence... What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I
saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those
who disbelieved that there is a hell." - Sister Mary Faustina
Kowalska, 1905-1938; http://www.divinemercysunday.com/vision.htm

 

[John Larkin]

Wow, 80 kCal/mile? You must be bicycling uphill in San Francisco then!

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question527.htm says to budget about 34
kCal/mile. (Assuming you weigh 150 lbs, and bicycle at 15 mph...)

Michael

I did say "very roughly." 2:1 ain't bad for guessing.

So it works out to more like 120 miles/day (pedaling 8 hours) and
maybe 5000 kcal/day for 4 days, 20,000 for the trip.

John

 

[Rich Grise]

Most oils and fats go 9 kcal to the gram.

I once read somewhere that if a car could be built that uses energy as
efficiently as a man on a bicycle, that it would get more like 900 miles
per gallon. But I guess one of the difference is the energy density
of gasoline, vs, say, beer. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[Rich Grise]

Yep. http://www.calorie-count.com/calories/item/4582.html

I calculated about 0.8 gallons of corn oil needed to bicycle 500 miles at
15 mph. Cooling water not included. (I guess you *could* exhale into a
radiator-type condenser to recycle water, but that would just be gross.)

What? You've never heard of the Stillsuit? ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

 

[[email protected]]

I once read somewhere that if a car could be built that uses energy as
efficiently as a man on a bicycle, that it would get more like 900 miles
per gallon. But I guess one of the difference is the energy density
of gasoline, vs, say, beer. ;-)

Cheers!
Rich

Corn oil has a much greater energy density than beer (which is
typically only, what, 5 to 7% ethanol by volume?)

Not to mention that corn oil is much cheaper than beer. (Unless you
travel to the Philippines, where beer and rum are dirt cheap - no taxes
at all.) (Then again, air fare to the Philippines would set you back
about $800.)

Stillsuit... heh... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stillsuit

"Stillsuits would not be feasible in real life due to thermodynamic
issues. Stopping the evaporation of sweat also stops its evaporative
cooling effect and alternative means of heat transfer such as radiative
cooling are not nearly as efficient. In a hot environment such as
daytime Arrakis this would soon result in heatstroke."

Michael
--
"I, Sister Faustina Kowalska, by the order of God, have visited the
Abysses of Hell so that I might tell souls about it and testify to its
existence... What I have written is but a pale shadow of the things I
saw. But I noticed one thing: That most of the souls there are those
who disbelieved that there is a hell." - Sister Mary Faustina
Kowalska, 1905-1938; http://www.divinemercysunday.com/vision.htm

 

[GregS]

Corn oil has a much greater energy density than beer (which is
typically only, what, 5 to 7% ethanol by volume?)

Molsen Golden Light 2.5
Bud Light 3.5
Coors Light 4.2
Coors 4.8
Molsen Golden about 6.0

greg

 

[Rich Grise]

Corn oil has a much greater energy density than beer (which is typically
only, what, 5 to 7% ethanol by volume?)

Yeah, but who wants to drink Mazola Oil? ;-P

Thanks!
Rich

 

[Dirk Bruere at NeoPax]

Molsen Golden Light 2.5
Bud Light 3.5
Coors Light 4.2
Coors 4.8
Molsen Golden about 6.0

Carlesberg Special Brew 9.0

Dirk

 

[John Woodgate]

Stillsuit... heh... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stillsuit

"Stillsuits would not be feasible in real life due to thermodynamic
issues. Stopping the evaporation of sweat also stops its evaporative
cooling effect and alternative means of heat transfer such as radiative
cooling are not nearly as efficient. In a hot environment such as
daytime Arrakis this would soon result in heatstroke."

Serious failure of comprehension and imagination. It's a STILLsuit; the
liquid IS evaporated, and subsequently condensed. Energy for this is
provided by solar cells built into the outer layer of the suit.