glsunder[/i] 3) Implement substantial measures domestically to reduce foriegn oil consumption. This could be done quicker by moving to E85 capable vehicles in the near future...[/QUOTE] [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Rob Lister said:
I think of E85 as a possible short term solution. Hydrogen might be a decent long term solution, but that's at least a decade away from beginning to be practical for mass consumption in the US. Electric cars have sort of died as a solution. Until the US treats trucks and SUVs the same as cars, good luck on getting improvements in efficiency. The main advantage of E85 in my mind is that the vehicles would be able to run on either E85 or gasoline, resulting in a smaller risk for the consumer.
I realize that there's a lot of energy used in the production of ethanol -- planting, harvesting, transporting, distillation,etc. I've seen a wide variety of estimates on the totals. Gasolline also has additional energy costs. What matters for cars is the comparison to gasoline for total energy consumption and pollution. Obviously, I wont get an objective answer from an E85 special interest group, but they do state that you get more energy out of ethanol than you put in. Truth? Lies? Wishfull thinking?
Again, I'm not advocating this as a long term solution. In my mind, it's a short term way to reduce dependance on oil and hopefully some pollution. If it simply shifts the usage somewhere else, then it's worthless. However, if the process really is as efficient as groups such as http://www.e85fuel.com/ says, then it would be worth looking into.