<VV> Still More on E-85

[FrankCB at aol.com]

In a message dated 6/18/05 1:03:06 PM Eastern Daylight Time, ronh at owt.com 
writes:

> The "If's" don't apply to any of the vehicles in the country today.  So 
> what's the point?
> RonH
> 

Ron and V Vers,
       The current issue of Popular Science reports that Saab (now owned by 
GM) is planning on importing a model into the USA that will operate on anywhere 
from 100% gasoline all the way down to 15% gasoline and 85% ethanol (called 
E-85 fuel).  The car includes a sensor that detects the actual composition of 
the fuel flowing to the injectors and enables the computer to compensate by 
changing the operating parameters of the engine (like injector open duration, 
ignition timing, et al.)  However, I doubt if it can change the compression ratio 
of the engine to take advantage of ethanol's high octane rating (about 99 
(R+M)/2 basis).
       But this clever concept could enable E-85 cars to be phased in 
gradually since they can start running on straight gasoline and change gradually over 
towards E-85 as that fuel becomes more available and hopefully cheaper.  You 
could even fill up on straight gasoline one week and E-85 the next week and 
the car's computer would compensate.  
       Now this ignores fuel cost considerations which, at this time, 
probably put pure ethanol (denatured, so you can't safely drink it) at around $3 per 
gallon even with present government subsidies.  Plus since a gallon of alcohol 
has less heating value (energy) than a gallon of gasoline, your cost per mile 
traveled would certainly be noticeably higher than when burning pure 
gasoline.
       However, since we as a country are spending VAST sums of taxpayer $$$ 
(to say nothing of our brave soldiers' lives) to uphold middle eastern regimes 
(mostly corrupt and despotic) so we can import around 60% of our oil and kill 
our balance of payments, would it make more long term sense instead to divert 
some of this money to subsidizing our own farmers (mostly US citizens) and 
our own US ethanol producers?  I'd rather have my tax $ go to Joe Cornfield 
rather than Mohamed Osama.  
       Even if we just STARTED doing this, I'll bet the world price of 
petroleum would drop like a shot toward at least HALF of the $50+ that it is now.  
Nothing reduces price like competition.
       Frank "ain't new technology grand?" Burkhard