gas or diesel poll

[Kalawang]

I don't know, so I am asking in ignorance, would farmers be able to produce soy beans cheap enough that bio diesel would still be under $2.00 a gallon after refining, transportation, resale, taxes etc.?

Perhaps that's why the Brazilian govt. stopped the sugarcane project. Too expensive to subsidize.

Bio fuel is not the future nor a replacement for dino fuel. It's just a pretty good sideline or waypoint at the moment. The long term future is more likely electric as it can be produced in so many ways in so many places. In my eyes, it has good potential to be produced in quantity more cheaply and better batteries are being invented these days. Just look at your Optima's and compare them to the old batteries.

The technology for bio fuel is old, at least WW2 vintage. In the Philippines, we used coconuts. Other countries used canola or whatever they had in their areas. The end product was alcohol or bio deisel, whichever was more immediatly needed and these died off when dino fuel came back simply because of cost. High production of bio fuel will not bring fuel prices down because it's not only expensive in itself, it also has to compete with food production for farmland.

It's a sideline that will serve only as long as it's a localized consumption. If the numbers of users grow, it will dissipate.


Kalawang

 

[Gauge]

I agree. Bio Diesel is a good supplement, but it will never be a complete replacement for Dino fuel. Supply will never meet demand. Our engines are just too thirsty. The major problem with our existing technology is that 80% or more of the energy in the fuel we burn is dissipated into the envirnment in the form of heat (exhaust, radiator, etc...). Only a small portion of the fuel's power is converted into mechanical energy to move and carry loads. The majority of the energy is simply wasted. There has to be a better way to utilize this wasted energy.

I think we would eventualy have to migrate to a new technology. Either electric cars or hydrogen. However, I am not sure what is needed to produce hydrogen on a large scale. That may be impractical too. The piston engine has been around for 100 years and has lived it's life. Not much left to improve. Time to move on to a new technology.

 

[Gold Finger]

I agree. Bio Diesel is a good supplement, but it will never be a
. Either electric cars or hydrogen. However, I am not sure what is needed to produce hydrogen on a large scale. That may be impractical too. The piston engine has been around for 100 years and has lived it's life. Not much left to improve. Time to move on to a new technology.

Water and DC electricity is one method of producing H.