About Me
- Name: Nick W.
- Location: Wisconsin, United States
Libertarian observations from within the Ivory Tower by an archivist, librarian and researcher.
Email me at
libertarian_librarian@hotmail.com
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A university is just a group of buildings gathered around a library. ~Shelby Foote
Thursday, April 27, 2006
Alternative Fuels
Great article at Popular Mechanics this week. Good summary, interesting facts, well-researched, well-written. Very interesting to read that E85 is a good alternative, since a lot of folks on the right (yes, including the right-wing "squawkers" on radio, tc) don't believe that to be the case. There are a few things that go unmentioned in the article (most likely because the focus is cars and trucks) which are worth bearing in mind, however.
The main thing is that ethanol and methanol blends (E/M10 all the way through E/M85) are very hard on small engines like those found in weed whackers, lawn mowers, and boat engines. Why? Because those engines are not made of stainless steel or plastic and are therefore highly susceptible to the corrosive aspects of the alcohol. Switching to stainless steel or plastic is feasible in cars and trucks-- the added cost can be absorbed in the overall large cost of a new vehicle. Not so with small engines-- adding the cost of producing small engines with stainless steel or plastic fuel tanks would cause a marked rise in cost for these types of engines.
But using even E10 (90% gas and 10% ethanol) in these engines can be quite detrimental to both the engines and the fuel lines. Beyond just the physical make-up of the engines, there is the fact that most such engines see only seasonal use (since we don't use lawnmowers in the winter or snowmobiles in the summer, and even during the seasons of use, most engines go days and often weeks without use). Thus the gas often just sits there, allowing the alcohol to corrode-- and evaporate. Said evaporation leaving behind gummy stuff to muck up your fuel lines.
All of that said, I am all in favor of increasing ethanol and hydrogen/hybrid cars and trucks and biodiesel semis. Just don't try to force us to have to use ethanol or other alterntive fuels in engines that can't handle them (like they tried to do in Wisconsin recently). Oh, and lets get rid of the dozens of different formulas of ethanol/gas blends currently being mandated for differing areas of the country-- all that does is increase cost, decrease supply, and drive up prices.
Hard to picture that as a good thing.
The main thing is that ethanol and methanol blends (E/M10 all the way through E/M85) are very hard on small engines like those found in weed whackers, lawn mowers, and boat engines. Why? Because those engines are not made of stainless steel or plastic and are therefore highly susceptible to the corrosive aspects of the alcohol. Switching to stainless steel or plastic is feasible in cars and trucks-- the added cost can be absorbed in the overall large cost of a new vehicle. Not so with small engines-- adding the cost of producing small engines with stainless steel or plastic fuel tanks would cause a marked rise in cost for these types of engines.
But using even E10 (90% gas and 10% ethanol) in these engines can be quite detrimental to both the engines and the fuel lines. Beyond just the physical make-up of the engines, there is the fact that most such engines see only seasonal use (since we don't use lawnmowers in the winter or snowmobiles in the summer, and even during the seasons of use, most engines go days and often weeks without use). Thus the gas often just sits there, allowing the alcohol to corrode-- and evaporate. Said evaporation leaving behind gummy stuff to muck up your fuel lines.
All of that said, I am all in favor of increasing ethanol and hydrogen/hybrid cars and trucks and biodiesel semis. Just don't try to force us to have to use ethanol or other alterntive fuels in engines that can't handle them (like they tried to do in Wisconsin recently). Oh, and lets get rid of the dozens of different formulas of ethanol/gas blends currently being mandated for differing areas of the country-- all that does is increase cost, decrease supply, and drive up prices.
Hard to picture that as a good thing.
Labels: Politics
