Flex-fuel,
bio-diesel, or hybrids: Which is America's answer to oil
dependency?
The
answer is clear.
When the
Iranian Revolution in 1979 caused massive gas lines in the
United States, many Americans turned to small Japanese
vehicles. Eventually, however, oil prices stabilized, gas
prices dropped, and many Americans returned to gas-guzzling
as SUVs became an expression of American freedom.
But the Iranian Revolution wasn't only felt in the U.S., and
the problems of oil dependence, particularly foreign-oil
dependence, pushed Brazil to do more than just buy a few
small Japanese vehicles. By 1985 almost every vehicle
produced in Brazil was designed for alcohol as fuel
transportation and gasoline stations were updated to handle
this new fuel.
So did Brazil kick the oil habit? Not exactly. According to
an interesting article, Ethanol:
Is it the answer?, a combination of cheap oil and
droughts - which caused poor harvests and less ethanol - led
Brazilians back to oil.
Today in Brazil, flex-fuel technology has changed
everything. Able to run on both gasoline, ethanol, or a
mixture of the two, flex fuel vehicles allow Brazilians to
take advantage of which ever fuel they choose. Thus, drivers
are hedged against either drought, or skyrocketing oil
prices.
So should America just focus on flex-fuel vehicles as the
solution to America's oil problems?
Absolutely not.
Flex-fuel vehicles definitely are part of the solution, but
even Brazil hasn't been able to kick the oil habit. More
important Brazil consumes SIGNIFICANTLY less fuel per year
than the U.S.. Additionally, Brazil uses sugar to produce
its ethanol fuel, the U.S. uses corn, which is far less
efficient than sugar.
Of course new grains, etc., might offer better efficiency,
but how long will it take to create enough fuel? Brazil
produces only about 5 billion gallons of ethanol per year,
U.S. demand is around 140 billion gallons per year. And what
about drought, or another natural disaster?
The key to Brazil's struggles and successes boil down to one
thing, flexibility. Flex-fuel vehicle technology should be
the standard in America, but it shouldn't stop there. Hybrid
technology, or even better, plug-in hybrid technology,
offers even far more flexibility.
Hybrid
cars, or better yet, flex-fuel hybrid cars, could
significantly improve fuel efficiency, while opening up new
fuel possibilities beyond oil. In reality; however, fuel
competition alone won't be enough to handle the oil monster,
and that's why hybrid technology is so important.
Plug-in flex-fuel advanced diesel hybrid vehicles could
offer fuel efficiency of more than 100 mpg with today's
technology - even for SUVs. Sure the technology is somewhat
expensive today, but it is FAR less expensive than fuel cell
technology. Additionally, a national fleet of 100 mpg
vehicles would end the need for foreign oil in about 5
years, which I've argued could save America more than a
TRILLION dollars (more).
Even better, plug-in power could lead to another revolution
in the automotive world, the utilization of solar power.
Already solar power is cost-effective to power a home - if
you are going to live in that home for at least 15 years -
but what if you could also help power your car with your
home energy system, with totally clean energy? Even more
interesting, garage mechanics have already created plug-in
hybrids with solar panels and Mazda is now showing a solar
hybrid concept vehicle that includes embedded solar
panels in the roof of the vehicle.
Ultimately, the good old days of the U.S. auto industry are
over. Constant innovation and the best technology are an
absolute requirement, and the best technology requires fuel
flexibility, as well as the best possible fuel economy. It
isn't just about saving money at the fuel pump, or
protecting the environment, it is about protecting the
security and welfare of Americans and the American economy.
Neither ethanol, bio-diesel or hybrids alone are going to
take the oil monkey off America's back quickly enough, but
combined, these alternative choices could radically change
America within a decade.
Instead of subsidizing the cost of a
foreign-oil-dependency-ending fleet of vehicles, America is
going to build more oil refineries, drill in Alaska, and
give billions of tax payer dollars to filthy rich oil
companies, as GM increases production on the Hummer.
Is that really an investment in the future? Isn't it time to
start investing in real American freedom, instead of
investing in companies that can profit as much as $23
billion in just one quarter?
I guess it is pretty clear who Congress represents, and it
isn't the majority of Americans.
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