Here’s an awesome question for all you green motor enthusiasts out there:  which car is more green, an electric Tesla roadster or a car powered by bioethanol?  Here are two points to consider by way of the Biofuels Institute:

*  The Tesla gets its juice from a power plant that is burning coal, which means it has 2.095 pounds of CO2 per kWh and can go 3.12 miles per kWh.

* The theoretical corn-ethanol E85-burning vehicle puts out CO2 according to the GREET model (Greenhouse gases, Regulated Emissions, and Energy use in Transportation) for lifecycle emissions and is operating at the proposed new CAFE standards.

These facts by themselves don’t mean a whole lot, but when you follow them to their logical conclusion what you get is a downright shocker: as it turns out, the E85 car is actually THIRTY PERCENT GREENER (in that it generates thirty percent fewer CO2 emissions over the course of both vehicles’ hundred and forty five thousand mile life spans) than the Tesla Roadster.

I was pretty shocked to hear that myself.  Now the next time someone looks all smug in their electric car while you’re filling up on flexfuel, just look at them, shake your head sadly, and know that you’re greener than thou.

Tags: e85 flex fuel, e85 vehicles, Ethanol, Tesla, tesla motors, tesla roadster

Continue reading...

Currently the most prominent source of biofuel is corn but due to the high cost of materials associated with the production the alternative fuel has yet to take off. Luckily, researchers from the US Department of Agriculture have recently discovred that it is possible to use watermelon juice to produce ethanol/biofuel.

Over 360,000 tons of watermelons are wasted every year, says Discovery News, as farmers leave 20-40% of their crop due to them not being aesthetically pleasing. So, why not use these as a form of alternative energy?

I’m sure we will be hearing more about watermelon juice as biofuel in the near future.

Tags: Biofuel, Ethanol, us department of argriculture, watermelon juice

Continue reading...

We have all been hearing the advent of biofuels and apparently Shell will be the first service station to introduce advanced biofuel made from wheat straw. All this will take effect on June 10 where a Shell Station based in Canada will blend 10% cellulosic ethanol to all regular gasoline purchased.

Cellulosic ethanol, as an end fuel, is identical to ethanol but it can offer up to 90% less lifecycle CO2 emissions than gasoline. It is a key part of Shell’s strategic investment and development program in sustainable biofuels.

“We’re proud of this world-first,” said Brian Foody, Chief Executive Officer of Iogen Corporation. “Building a demo plant is one thing but you then need to go through the process of operating the new technology at scale, learning, modifying and lowering costs. With the volumes we’re producing today, we’re confident about the future.”

The next thing we have to do now is to see how it will affect the vehicle performance and if they are indeed reliable as what studies say. To date, it is still too early to rejoice and a lot of factors, mostly on the end of the consumers, have to be addressed and this includes the reaction of their cars to this new kind of fuel.

(Source) Press

Tags: biofuels, Canada, Cars, cellulosic, co2 emissions, consumers, demo, Ethanol, fuel source, gasoline, new technology, shell station, vehicle performance, wheat straw

Continue reading...

The Spanish racing team looks like it is planning to penetrate the Ferrari market with this new supercar called the GTA Spano. Packing a 780-horsepower V10, the lightweight supercar is made of carbon-fiber, Kevlar and titanium to help it get up to highway speeds from a standstill (0-60) in a blindingly fast 2.9 seconds.

It’s available with a choice of transmission options, and can even run on ethanol for an added boost. GTA says it will only build 99 examples of its first roadgoing sportscar, which will carry a pricetag in the neighborhood of $670,000.

(Source) Luxist

Tags: carbon fiber, Ethanol, Ferrari, ferrari market, gta, highway speeds, horsepower, kevlar, neighborhood, pricetag, sportscar, Supercar, titanium, transmission options

Continue reading...

In a move to help address the growing problem of fuel and oil, Propel Fuels has reportedly partnered with Enterprise Rent-a-Car to fuel rental cars in the Sacramento area with renewable E85 Flex Fuel. This first-of-its-kind program in the area helps educate Enterprise customers on how to “fuel green and save green” with Propel E85 (85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline), which, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20 percent.

Enterprise has the largest “Flex Fuel” rental fleet in the nation, with over 73,000 vehicles able to run on standard gasoline or E85. Twelve Sacramento Enterprise locations have been selected to participate in the pilot program starting Q2 of 2009, giving customers an opportunity to try alternative fuels when they rent a Flex Fuel vehicle. Propel recently opened five Clean Fuel Points in the Sacramento area that serve E85 as well as biodiesel.

Clean Fuel Points accept major credit and fleet cards and are open 24/7, offering convenience to Enterprise customers. Enterprise customers will be educated about the opportunity to use Propel’s stations to fuel their rental cars.

(Source) Press

Tags: alternative fuels, convenience, e85 flex fuel, enterprise customers, enterprise locations, enterprise rent a car, environmental protection agency, Ethanol, fleet cards, flex fuel vehicle, gasoline, greenhouse gas emissions, pilot program, rental cars, rental fleet, sacramento area

Continue reading...

Have you ever stopped to think that putting ethanol into your car is a sin? No? Well Sheikh Mohamed al-Najimi, an Islamic scholar, begs to differ.

According to Mr. al-Najimi, Muslim’s using ethanol may in fact be commiting a sin. But why? Well, purchasing, using, transportating, selling or making alcohol, in any way shape or form, is stricly illegal under Muslim belief.

And what is ethanol? Well, alcohol, of course!

Read (TheCarConnection)

Tags: beliefs, culture, Ethanol, muslim, religion, speculation

Continue reading...

We have read and heard about them but apparently, the much celebrated feature of turning algae-to-oil alternative is finally being realized. Apparently, the most promising source of renewable oil, into a true competitor to petroleum, announced that the company was featured on CNN’s television segment called “Energy Fix” on February 26. The segment, hosted by CNN anchor Poppy Harlow, aired nationally on multiple occasions and featured OriginOil’s breakthrough algae-to-oil technology and algae’s potential to replace petroleum.

In the interview, OriginOil CEO Riggs Eckelberry explained that algae is a third generation biofuel feedstock. First generation biofuel was based on food crops such as corn and sugarcane. Second generation, such as cellulosic ethanol, is not based on food crops but still uses lots of land and water. The third generation doesn’t need farmland, can use dirty water, is not a food crop, grows very fast, and loves CO2. Eckelberry concluded by saying that algae is the prime candidate for what we need in this country for biofuels.

(Source) Press

Tags: algae, dirty water, Ethanol, farmland, food crop, land and water, oil technology, riggs, television segment

Continue reading...

What will fuel the cars of the future? Will the cars of 2025 run on electricity, hydrogen combustion engines, ethanol or bio-diesel, solar power, or some hybrid combination of any number of these? Ethanol was touted by the U.S. government very briefly for reasons that seem in retrospect to be more political than practical. Ethanol has lower emissions than gasoline and can be produced right here in the United States, but recently studies suggest that it actually takes more energy to produce than is contained in the fuel itself, making the environmental impact kind of self-defeating.

Ethanol costs about $2 per gallon, which is less than Petroleum based fuel, but cars using E85 (an 85% Ethanol blend) get 10-20% few miles per gallon that run on regular gas. On the up side, some cars specially made to run on Ethanol based fuels (like the Chrysler Sebring, Ford F150, and GMC Yukon) are already on the market and are no more expensive than regular models.

Tags: electricity, Ethanol, Gas, Hydrogen, solar

Continue reading...