Crop-based Ethanol Bad, Study Finds

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Dustin P. Walsh on Fri, 02/08/2008 - 10:30
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Eleventeen

And this is what GM wants to use to bring us into the future.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 10:40
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Hulkster

Well I always have been saying this about ethanol... I guess we also do not understand the law of dimishing returns... Economics 101! The crops cannot be worked for ever, eventually you cannot grow anything.

Diesel is the future no matter how much the US Gov and US automakers are ignoring it. Europe and the rest of the world have been using diesel for a long time. I just do not understand why we just produce and offer more diesel vehicle for the US market!?! I do not understand the justification that Americans just do not like diesels. I do not like being told what I should like... But that just me.

But again if US automakers produce more diesels, our government will find a way to jack up the price of diesel fuel anyway.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 10:56
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Peter B.

Is't this obvious? Only people who have financial gain from the "fuel crops", like Mr. Dinneen, dispute it.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 10:57
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Ben

I agree with Peter B. I would also like to comment that diesel is not the future either. Small diesels will, however, buy us more time until we come up with a new solution to power automobiles.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 11:41
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Texas_Dude

Is it not possible to regulate the growth of farm-land for environmental reasons (at least in the U.S)? Deforestation globally in general is going to hurt the environment. I'd imagine some crop fields in the U.S. would make a much less impact than the worldwide devastation that's going on with rain forests and other large forests.

Ethanol combined with hybrid electric engines and/or plug-in hybrid seems like a way of at least reducing our dependence on foreign oil. It's not the best long-term solution, but neither is diesel. At least it's something. Bio-fuels seem more like the future, just we need to perfect the means of obtaining it.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 12:42
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Ducati Minor

Ben, you made the most intelligent statement I have read on this site. Diesel is not the future--it is old tech with qualities we could use the mid-term.

Fri, 02/08/2008 - 16:14
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CARSON44

VW and Mercedes have a diesel program, Bluetech, that will equal or in some real world examples better today's gas/electrics. They meet 50 state environmental regs. Having driven both, I must say I can't tell much difference in these or gasoline powered models. As for size, the E Benz is today a good sized car, w/EPA 24/30. The cost is little more than the gas model. Fuel cell tech is not going to happen at any reasonable cost to consumers, battery tech is slow in coming. We all must admit to the magic power contained in a gallon of petroleum. Nothing, short of nuclear, produces this much power in such compact form, this cheaply. The other good alternative is Honda's CNG attempt. Not a long range at 250 miles, but it can be fueled at home with your own compressor and residential natural gas supply. Of course this means no long trips as the CNG infrastructure is not yet in place.

Sat, 02/09/2008 - 09:36
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