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Pickups Diesels Diesels in the News
8147 messages, Last post on Dec 04, 2009 at 8:22 PM
You are in the Diesels Forum. Your Host is kcram
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Replying to: blufz1 (Apr 14, 2007 12:54 pm) Apparently terrorism is a valid subject for this site as it has been mentioned so many times by so many posters. As we speak there are demonstration in Mexico against the rising price of corn meal. American farmers are planting more "Bio corn" and less food corn because the price is better and likely to be more predictable, and the crops are easier to grow. Note that currently it is used primarily to produce ethanol for gas vehicles. Other types of crops could be substituted, but any reliance on crop land for fuel means less crop land available for food production, however marginal. With 16,000 children in the world starving to death everyday (Recent UN estimate) do any of us begin to feel like terrorists in our reliance on any automobile that depends on agriculture to sustain itself? Doesn't it seem that at some point severe legal restrictions will be placed on the automobile including diesel, and the unmentionable other car words? As for making US farmers rich through framing for bio fuels: the vast majority of farming is done by US corporations, not US farmers.
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Question for the HOST: Will a discussion of Mercedes' tentative plans for a BLUETEC/"Unamable" S-Class be allowed here, or is it off topic?
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Replying to: gagrice (Apr 14, 2007 11:41 am) I have been unable to verify the 42 vs 24 numbers. But for discussions sake, I wonder if an analysis of the comparitive size and weight of the vehicles might indicate that the European vehicle fleet is on average newer, smaller, and lighter than the American fleet and that that contributes very significantly to increased average fuel economy?
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Replying to: hypnosis44 (Apr 14, 2007 2:58 pm) kcram - Pickups Host
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Replying to: kcram (Apr 14, 2007 5:05 pm) pf_flyer, "Hybrid Diesels?" #376, 3 Dec 2006 7:26 am |
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Replying to: hypnosis44 (Apr 14, 2007 1:19 pm) Scientists believe carbon dioxide is one of the main greenhouse gases contributing to global warming. Neat biodiesel (100% biodiesel) reduces carbon dioxide emissions by more than 75% over petroleum diesel. Using a blend of 20% biodiesel reduces carbon dioxide emissions by 15%. Biodiesel also produces fewer particulate matter, carbon monoxide, and sulfur dioxide emissions (all air pollutants under the Clean Air Act). Since biodiesel can be used in conventional diesel engines, the renewable fuel can directly replace petroleum products; reducing the country's dependence on imported oil. Biodiesel offers safety benefits over petroleum diesel because it is much less combustible, with a flash point greater than 150°C, compared to 77°C for petroleum diesel. It is safe to handle, store, and transport. http://www.eere.energy.gov/afdc/altfuel/bio_benefits.html
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Replying to: gagrice (Apr 14, 2007 5:46 pm) After several hours of searching and weeding I located this as well - you may already have it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biodiesel I am also searching for current similar environmental comparisons of gas to petroleum diesel - not to be debated here, but for my own elucidation.
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Replying to: hypnosis44 (Apr 14, 2007 6:23 pm) http://www.biodiesel.com/ Pacific Biodiesel, Inc. was born in 1996 as the answer to grave concerns over potential environmental and health problems resulting from restaurant grease clogging the Central Maui Landfill. Robert King, owner of King Diesel on Maui, who was contracted to maintain the generators at the Landfill, decided to do something about it. The small scale, economically feasible Maui operation was recognized by biodiesel authorities nationwide as one of the first commercially viable biodiesel plants in the U.S. In 1997, Japanese businessman Soichiro "Sol" Yoshida contracted Pacific Biodiesel to design and build a similar plant for his Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise in Nagano, Japan. (That plant now processes used cooking oil from 60 restaurants, producing biodiesel that completely powers one KFC restaurant as well as many cars, trucks, and industrial engines.) |
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Replying to: jkinzel (Apr 06, 2007 12:54 pm) Agreed. Also, the perception of the indispensability of the automobile is at the heart of our auto dependency. The massive investment to "perfect" and rationalize the irrational could have long ago mitigated most of our transportation problems and issues had it been wisely directed. |
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Replying to: gagrice (Apr 07, 2007 8:07 pm) My post dealt with the absence of inclusionary discussion, not the balance in his posts, where he did however state that he felt diesels had a place, but were not the be all and end all. I do not see that same inclusion here, but a general dismissal of Hybrids, and gas cars for that matter, as a part of the pantheon of choices. "Plus you would be saving on fossil fuel for yourself and for your children." I think the real savings is going to come as a severe jolt to most of us when the artificial dependence on the automobile is cracked. As much as I love cars, and have since I could see one, I hope my grandchildren, now six and two, see that day.
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