Do you use ethanol in your car?

[speedy 0]

Yes? Then you'll like this attached cartoon

Dave

Fallschirmsport Marl

[mnealtx 0]

Wait...isn't that Al Gore?

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[billvon 3,085]

Uh - if you live in the US, YOU probably use ethanol in your car.

[rehmwa 2]

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Uh - if you live in the US, YOU probably use ethanol in your car.

it's a good window cleaner, but a lousy mixer

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

[jumpinfarmer 0]

Well considering we have a record corn crop here in the US this fall, it's all media hype

[speedy 0]

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Well considering we have a record corn crop here in the US this fall, it's all media hype

Record corn crop!!! How long will that last? With AGW, the droughts, the floods, the storms or whatever will soon put and end to that.

Dave

Fallschirmsport Marl

[quade 4]

This just in!

http://sema.carcrazycentral.com/Video.aspx?VideoID=96&Category=All&PageIndex=1

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[idrankwhat 0]

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Well considering we have a record corn crop here in the US this fall, it's all media hype

It's not enough to fuel the fuel addiction.
Food for fuel is a bad idea IMO, unless you want to kill two birds with one stone and yank the high fructose corn syrup out of damn near every product on the shelf and use that for fuel. That way you get more fuel and fewer lard asses. Of course that's likely to hurt your gains if you own any diabetes monitoring device stocks.

[Andy9o8 2]

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Do you use ethanol in your car?

No, but a hell of a lot of my clients do.

[jumpinfarmer 0]

It's not enough to fuel the fuel addiction.
Food for fuel is a bad idea IMO, unless you want to kill two birds with one stone and yank the high fructose corn syrup out of damn near every product on the shelf and use that for fuel. That way you get more fuel and fewer lard asses. Of course that's likely to hurt your gains if you own any diabetes monitoring device stocks.

True if all the gasoline use in the US was to be replaced by ethanol but, that isn't the case. We produced 13+billion bushels of corn in the US this year 2 billion more than projected use from all sources not just ethanol, no shortage here. Now next year who knows we could have a bad season and grow 10 billion or a real banner and produce 14 or more. If the market is there the potential for a larger crop could and probably will be reached. The trend is for higher yields through technology as has been seen over the last 70 years. If I remember right just a few years ago the media was bashing corn growers for making it to cheep and people getting fat from eating too much

Now if you are concerned that ethanol is the reason for higher food prices thing again. Higher fuel prices is most of the reason. It just plain costs more to process and transport food than it did when oil was $30. True grain prices have doubled in the last few years but so have production costs, with out the increase in prices there would have possibly been food shortages from under production. Another reason for your food costs increasing is from the devalued dollar. This has made US grain cheaper on the world market and setts the stage for increased exports. Agriculture is one of the only industries left to have a trade surpluss. Thease are just a few of the many complex issues with why your grocery bill has gone up.

Oh and there are several exciting new things being developed, some being tested right now, to produce ethanol without grain for a fraction of the cost of grain ethanol.

[masterrig 1]

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Well considering we have a record corn crop here in the US this fall, it's all media hype

I heard on the news recently that because of the demand for corn in this country, Mexico has stopped growing aguave cactus and will start growing corn. I thought, you tequila drinkers out there might want to know this.


Chuck

[Gawain 0]

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Uh - if you live in the US, YOU probably use ethanol in your car.

I imagine he was speaking of E85, not the standard 10-15% already mixed in.

Ethanol use has attempted expansion too quickly. We're now seeing the cornerstone of our food supply in huge demand, so the commodity is going through the roof.

E85 capable cars are fine, but the savings is lost in the massive loss of mileage as a result.

Ford and MIT are apparently working on a technology which uses ethanol as a booster, not solely as a fuel source. Thus reducing use of gasoline, increasing power while reducing engine displacement.

From what I understand, small V8 power can be attained from a 2.4L four cylinder. Because "knock" is virtually eliminated, torque numbers are apparently high too.
http://www.technologyreview.com/Energy/18304/

This could turn into a very prudent evolution of the use of the natural resources and would be a perfect bridge to begin weaning the nation off of oil based products over the long term (say 50-75 years).

So I try and I scream and I beg and I sigh
Just to prove I'm alive, and it's alright
'Cause tonight there's a way I'll make light of my treacherous life
Make light!

[billvon 3,085]

>I imagine he was speaking of E85, not the standard 10-15% already mixed in.

Yep. But I use E50 in my car, and I bet he still uses more ethanol than I do.

>Ethanol use has attempted expansion too quickly. We're now seeing the
>cornerstone of our food supply in huge demand, so the commodity is
>going through the roof.

Right - that's to be expected. Increased demand, increased cost until supply catches up.

>E85 capable cars are fine, but the savings is lost in the massive loss of
>mileage as a result.

?? The issue isn't 'savings' - it's that ethanol does not come from oil, and will not run out at the same rate oil will. In a way it's preparing for the future. Ethanol gives you about 20% worse mileage than gasoline does in a conventional engine, but is 100% better than gasoline you can't get.

>Ford and MIT are apparently working on a technology which uses ethanol
>as a booster, not solely as a fuel source. Thus reducing use of gasoline,
>increasing power while reducing engine displacement.

You can get the same sort of improvement if you design a car from the ground up to use E85 instead of gasoline. You can run at much higher compressions since E85's octane rating is between 106 and 118. Higher compression = greater combustion efficiencies.

An 'ideal' engine would be an Atkinson cycle engine with a variable compression ratio that would start at a low ratio, increase it until you got pinging then back off. That would allow you to develop more power with E85 and run at a much greater efficiency.

[NCclimber 0]

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Uh - if you live in the US, YOU probably use ethanol in your car.

Are you saying that most gasoline we buy at the pump contains ethanol? If so, could you direct me to a source where I can find out about this.

[idrankwhat 0]

I don't know about NC but here in VA you're hard pressed to find gas without 10-15% EtOH.

[quade 4]

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>Ethanol use has attempted expansion too quickly. We're now seeing the
>cornerstone of our food supply in huge demand, so the commodity is
>going through the roof.

Right - that's to be expected. Increased demand, increased cost until supply catches up.

Actually, ethanol is currently in surplus and the market for it is down to about $1/gallon off a high of $5/gallon awhile back. This, of course, on the futures market, not at the pump.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[NCclimber 0]

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Actually, ethanol is currently in surplus and the market for it is down to about $1/gallon off a high of $5/gallon awhile back. This, of course, on the futures market, not at the pump.

I have it pegged at $1.72, about $2.60 of its '06 highs. Considering daily volume is less than 100, I'm not convinced the futures prices have much correlation to the cash markets.