There are a number of reasons on both sides of the fence to argue for and against an ethanol fuel alternative to replace traditional fossil fuels. One of the strongest reasons of note to not move toward an almost complete ethanol fuel system is that it is new technology. This could render older vehicles and machines obsolete, requiring entirely new purchases or retooling. While this is good for the companies who will take the lead in new manufacture and remanufacture, it is a high price to pay for companies that currently rely so heavily on fossil fuels—a trucking company, for example. Since these companies are already struggling, the increased cost at this point in time could be absolutely detrimental. Learn More About Ethanol Fuel More Advantageous? >>>
Monthly Archive for April, 2008
We are seeing an increased demand for alternate fuel vehicles around the world. This demand continues to grow as the price of oil crude and fossil fuels continues to rise. Many car manufacturers are designing more economical variations of popular models, but they are also coming out with new hybrid cars—ones that run on a mixture of gasoline and electricity. These hybrid models come with their own trade-off, however, including requiring regular charging and typically lower horsepower. Current ethanol compatible engines are mostly what are called dual-fuel engines, engines that can run on both ethanol and fossil fuel mixtures. These vehicles tend to see a degradation in efficiency, such as miles per gallon, as more ethanol is added to the mix. Learn More About Buying Your Next Vehicle for an Ethanol-Filled Future >>>
Whether it be a new technology, new business practice, or new governmental sanction, anything done on a large enough scale today has a resounding impact on local and global economics. The implications of ethanol fuel on the global economy are not different. By adding ethanol fuel into fossil fuel gasoline, we see a demand for more crops to be grown such as corn or sugar cane. While that extra crop may not be grown, farmers are typically looking at what pays more—the food or the fuel. Like any good business, the growers will go with whatever brings in the most profit. This has a devastating effect on economics related to the production of important food stocks, including corn and sugar cane. The demand for those things remains—even grows—but, the production remains the same and is now split between two different markets. Therefore, we see the costs of basic food stocks increase. If the cost of food increases, we see the cost of living and thus the cost of doing business also increase. Learn More About Economic Effects of Ethanol Fuel >>>
The current trend of increasing fuel costs is not something limited to here in the United States, it is something happening all over the world, and effecting all different markets. Different scientific think tanks are working with ethanol fuel and other options to combat the increasing costs associated with fossil fuels, and governments are investigating new options as well. This isn’t a new problem, however, it has only just recently gotten as bad as it is. For years, people have been putting ethanol into their fuel tanks as and additive to gasoline. Since the 1970s, in fact, the United States has required that an additive be placed with gasoline to cut back on carbon dioxide emissions and ethanol has been permitted as one of these key additives in amounts of up to 10%. Learn More About Ethanol Fuel Around the World >>>
There are several places that can support a variety of different crops that can produce ethanol to be used as a fuel additive or substitute. From corn to sugar cane and beyond, a wide array of crops can be grown with the express purpose of producing ethanol based bio-fuel. There are arguments that the large amount of crops used in the production of ethanol have severely impacted the world’s food stores and prices in a negative way. This can be true, considering the same amount of corn used to produce enough ethanol fuel for one vehicle’s fuel tank once is the same amount that can feed an individual for a year. Learn More About Ethanol Fuel Crops and Land Use >>>
Gas prices continue to rise, and there is no sight of them stopping or reversing in the foreseeable future. As a result, everyone is scrambling for a way to maintain profit margins and lifestyles. One current popular trend is the highly sensationalized hybrid engines using both electricity and fossil fuel combos to keep the motor running. Still, these hybrid engines come with their own cost, both in cost to produce and the loss of horsepower, which makes them less likely to take over sports car and heavy machinery markets. Another alternative to fossil fuels being aggressively pursued is ethanol fuel alternatives. These are cleaner burning and cheaper produce, but ethanol fuel alternatives also come with their own costs. Learn More About The Risks of Ethanol Fuel >>>
