I choose not to say who's opinion this is but I share this opinion. Even though gas from cars pollutes the Earth and contributes to global warming, would'nt biofuels harm the people of the Earth? It could drive up prices for farming equipment and "devour the world's food supply." It isn't 100% clean either. Some countries have the supplies that biofuels run on usually in warmer climates. But what if these countries take advantage of countries who don't have these resources such as Mongolia, Russia, or Mauritania?
Biofuels aren't worth it for those very reasons, to me. We'd be better off using corn for food instead of making ethanol, which is just a waste of money and would be better spent on useful alternatives, like hybrids and electric cars.
I always thought the idea of using food for fuel was stupid.
We've got people starving already. No need to decrease the food supply for cars. It just splits the focus.
Okay since I have two people agree with me you've just agreed with Fidel Castro.
In terms of the economics of biofuels, it comes down to how great the production of such fuels would be. Obviously, there needs to be enough to feed people, but there's still the possibility of having excess amounts which can then be converted into fuel.
Also, as we only tend to use the grain of various crops for our food, the stem and leaves then go to waste. These parts can also be used to generate energy, and are a re-usable resource.
The main factor would be how practical it would be for a given area to produce enough crop to produce the amount of fuel desired. Certainly, some areas of South America have used their sugar production to also provide ethanol as fuel for vehicles for some time now, but that is a case of having a good climate and economic set-up for that kind of operation, and similar approaches may prove unfeasible elsewhere.
I see nothing wrong with usign the excess plant matter to produce power or fuel.
I think they should run cars on hyrdrogen or another gas. Even though there's a risk of an explosion if the car crashes, if you and other people drive carefully there'd be no crashes. America, Africa, and Asian countries all have access to gases that cars can use as an energy source.
It's impossible to say there'd be no crashes if we all drive carefully - not only would it be possible to crash by accident (as is most often the case, even while driving safely), there will always be people who think themselves above safety limits. And even if that weren't the case, there's always the risk of technical faults causing hazards.
No crashes? That's a bit...idealistic.
ASSUMING everyone drives safely. It's a huge assumption. ASSUMING that, there are still mechanical failures and things in cars, and these can lead to accidents. Ever seen a tire blow out on a car?
a lot of the farmers around here have switched over to what ever kind of corn they use for fuel for this reason. and now the $ for corn is rising... no one even HAS one of those cars here i bet
My car can burn ethanol, actually. There's no stations nearby though that have it. o.o
Knowing that using gases as fuel and having a car accident can cause an explosion. People will drive more carefully knowing that they can get seriously hurt or die if you drive wrecklessley. Even though something can go wrong with your car there's less of a chance that it can explode if you drive careful. BTW in Denmark they use hyrdrogen powered cars...
Hydrogen is VERY flammable.
Gas is very flammable also.
Yes, but you were trying to suggest something as an alternative to the explosive, flammable gasoline.
Suggesting another flammable material (most famously known for igniting during the Hindenburg crash) doesn't make a good argument.
Now if you argued on how much hydrogen there is as a reason to use it instead of petroleum processed into gasoline, then you have a case.
Well if every single car in the world ran on biofuels, we might run into food shortages. But how about we just stop using dead plants as a fuel source?
How about solar power? o.o
Yeah, sure. Anything that doesn't lead to choking to death on toxic fumes, and melting half of Greenland causing sea levels to rise by 20 feet, I'm all for it.
I'd buy a solar powered car.
Using bikes more could be more ecological. In China and Cuba some people use bikes to get around. Also in New York some people use their bikes to go to work.
Hydrogen is to impractical from what I've read, unless I'm recalling the wrong alt fuel hydrogen powered cars have VERY limited range and the refilling stations for them are few and far between.
Corn Oil seems to be more pracitical but again it can't catch on because there are no stations for it. A man in dallas/ft worth would have to stay in the range of one tank because there are no other stations within range.
Solar is most impractical to date. You spend most of your time charging the car for very little driving distance. We need to work on that technology before it because a viable alternative.
Most of whats been listed here are great for things like mass transportation (companies with money to burn) and people that just want to get around their city. However to someone like that will go on 300 mile roadtrips at random? They aren't viable as I'd run outta fuel and get stranded before I found a station.
Bikes work great, again, for in town driving. Something like going to mall for me would take around 20 hours for a round trip, forget taking the kids, and again is not viable.
People seem to get this tunnel vision would they hear "alternative fuel" and don't think about anything but mileage and tree hugging. Our technology is not there yet. We have hybrid's for now to save on gas and help the ozone, but until we can get more refilling stations in place for these alt fuel cars, and make them affordable, they just aren't viable.
~Tobe
Hydrogen worked in Iceland because Iceland is smaller than some STATES here in the US. You literally have to try to run out of fuel before a station, and even then you probably need to pass one or two on your effort.
The thing about bikes is that the range and speed is very limited, and cargo? Forget it. Mass transport is expensive. Solar would be fine if it was mroe efficient - and I did hear that they are developing a new solar cell that actually converts a huge percentage of the light that hits it.
Hybrids...my biggest beef with hybrids is that hybrid cars are ugly. Seriously, they're just disgusting to look at, and I really care more about the mileage meaning more money for me than I care about the miniscule effect reduction that one person makes with it.
Um... My next car is probably going to be an '09 Toyota Prius.
~Tobe
Not everything can be blamed on gas. It's the cars that people choose. Nowadays everybody has an SUV that takes more gas and brings up the demand for gas prices. It probably pollutes more too.
Everyone is also starting airline businesses. When will we stop the planes?
Get a Civic Hybrid, Rico. I hear people actually survive accidents in those.
I'll get a diablo instead. Back to topic!
Well, unfortunelty planes NEED a reliable, powerful way to fly, and fossile fuels are the only way to power them right now. The trouble with cars, is that we do have other means to get around other than fossile fuels, but everyone has got to be somewhere, and time is money, so we cant give it up. I personally think that at least hybrids should be a standard, and until a new power source is found, planes will need the fuel because people NEED to fly long distances.
If you think about it, planes are just as effiecient as a sedan, but because they go great distances, they require more fuel. Fuel supply = time + distance, there for you'll use just as much gas in a standard sedan driving halfway across the country as one engine on a plane. That, and because planes run at a set speed most of the time, their fuel efficiency is better than a city car anyday.
It's not the aircrafts fault, but the fact that EVERYONE... has a car. Or even 2 cars or more. If you can drive, then you probably have a car. People just like having the ability to move around more, i mean it opens the world up, but now that we know thats out there, why not go back to a more efficient source of transportation? I mean, if you live in a city or small town, and your fat, get a frikin bike and you can solve both your weight problem and the pollution problem of cars. But yeah, sorry for the comment, but people are spoiled by technology.
Whats this have to do with bio-fuels? No clue... but they arn't up to par with fossile fuels, so until they can easily compete with them, we wont see them in common use.
The reason people use fossil fuels in the first place is because of their inherent utility. If there are better, safer, and cleaner alternatives that are just as economical, I'd think they'd be in use by now.
