What alternative fuel do you think we should be pursing to replace gasoline for autos?

Question

Im on Hydrogen Bandwagon myself

Answer 1

Hydrogen - for sure.

Answer 2

First there isn't going to be any ONE "magic bullet" replacement for gasoline. There are going to be several, used all at once. To name just a few in use now:
- E85
- Biodiesel and SVO
- Electric (and plug-in hybrid)
- Public transit (it's on the rise)

Second, hydrogen is a pie-in-the-sky Buck Rogers technology with many serious, unsolved technical problems. Watch "Who killed the electric car" - they make a strong case that hydrogen is being used as a ploy to distract people from more practical alternatives available today, to keep people buying gasoline for a few more years.

Anyway, hydrogen has a cost problem too. It isn't enough for a technology to be practical, it must also be as cheap as alternatives! And as I said, there will be many.

OPEC (the "C" stands for "Cartel") understands this - for decades they've skillfully manipulated gasoline prices so it's always a bit cheaper than any alternatives. That's why oil shale, coal gasification, E85 and biodiesel have never really taken off, and if they ever do start to become viable, OPEC will yank down gasoline prices to run those alternatives out of business. This is known to anyone in the alternative fuel business, and it's a serious barrier to development.

The only way we're really going to move to alternative fuels is if we the citizens do it ourselves. I'm sorry to say that's where hydrogen is at an even bigger disadvantage. You or I can convert an electric. You or I can run biodiesel or convert a diesel to run SVO.

You or I can't do anything with hydrogen. It's out of reach of the homebrewer. So we sit here "hoping" that industry and government will get on the ball and do something with it on a large scale... and we wait, and wait... helpless.

Grrreat.

So I'm sorry. If you're on the "Hydrogen Bandwagon", don't throw your shoulder out patting yourself on the back. You've been sucked into a sales job about the future (heh, remember flying cars?) and your real-world actions right now are exactly the same as someone who does not care at all. Now, if you want to ACTUALLY make a difference, educate yourself about electric, E85, biodiesel, SVO, WVO, and public transit, and then actually start using one.

Final food for thought: Power plugs are everywhere. B100 biodiesel is a little hard to find, but SVO is sold at CostCo for $2.59/gal. (it has the same energy content as diesel fuel, so same MPG.) And you can intermix regular diesel and SVO, so you can fill up anywhere in a pinch. WVO is free.

Answer 3

Biodiesel. It can be "grown"/produced locally. The source can be varied depending on the climate and crop grown. The problem with Hydrogen is it takes to much energy to produce at the current time and it has a very low BTU output compared to gasoline or diesel. It is not an efficient energy source. It creates the least amount of emissions but it is not practical......yet(?)

Answer 4

i'm not sure we can totally wipe that out but we had this symposium before about this plant locally called tuba-tuba, which grows in hot places and does not need much water .. anyone can actually plant it in one's home. it can be turned to fuel that does not cause as much harm as the other types of gas. it is certified to be efficient.

Answer 5

Nothing. There's plenty of gas out there. Get rid of the tree huggers that will not let use drill where the oil is at.

Answer 6

Air!

Check out my link!

http://www.theaircar.com/

Answer 7

electro magnetic pulse

Answer 8

water or otherwise known as hho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9Osmwd-o7I