[PLUG-TALK] Re: [PLUG] OT License plates and covers.

[Michael C. Robinson]

> Many other folks, along with the oil companies, are lobbying against
> that. Just as Hearst lobbied against hemp, the Oil companies lobby
> against alcohol fuel. No to mention that there are real issues that can
> be caused by running an engine designed for gasoline on pure alcohol.
> Many of the rubber seals used break down when sujected to alcohol.
> Alcohol can get through a smaller space than gas, so it contaminates
> your oil faster, and it isn't traped by a filter. Most alcohol burning
> engines add a water trap to the oil system. This is another maintenance
> item that many folks won't be familiar with. Neglecting this one can
> cause the engine to stop functioning with catastrophic results. 
> 
> So, you are looking at a complete refit of the vehicle with alcohol
> compatible seals, from the fuel tank to the engine. In addition, you'll
> need to fit a water trap on both the fuel and oil system. 
> 
> After those changes, then you can expect a similar life span from your
> engine. 
 

Oil is too valuable too be burned up needlessly.  Being first
of all a limited commodity.  In the long term, fuel cell 
vehicles are probably the answer.  We need a transitional 
period where we use more hybrid vehicles while the service 
stations get updated.  One thing that would help is changing
laws that encourage the use of gasoline to cover road 
maintenance through gas taxes.  Even if we figure out 
reverse carbon cracking and are able to reclaim some  
carbon dioxide to produce more gasoline, using gasoline 
as the primary fuel is a massive waste of oil.  Oil has 
other uses, CD-R production requires oil.  So too do many
industrial processes.

There are probably large untapped oil 
reserves near Taiwan, but the environmental 
impact if anyone tries to tap them using 
current offshore drilling methods is going 
to be extreme.  If we have enough oil, we 
are discouraged from ending our dependency 
on it for fuel and road building material.

Talking to a guy from the oil company one 
of the problems is the disincentive to use 
alternative fuels.  Apparently there is an 
extra tax on hybrids because they don't
burn as much gasoline.  The environmental 
savings far outweigh the loss in taxes, is 
one side of our government considering this 
and the other side not?  Do we want an 
alternative to the gasoline engine that 
works or not?  We did the Apollo missions,
why can't we do something similar for
terrestrial transportation?

I for one wouldn't mind a monthly driving 
tax paid by all people who have driver 
licenses if it is reasonable and it ends 
the dependency on burning gasoline to pay 
for road maintenance.

The oil companies as a strong lobby or 
not need to see change because they stand to 
lose when the oil supply runs out and they 
aren't ready.  We need to control special 
interests so that we can respond in a timely 
manner to fossil fuel problems instead of
holding our breath until some time in the 
distant future.  If we want to change the
fuel base, we must commit the time we have 
now to accomplish that.

A fuel economy of 20 miles to the gallon by 
the way may be good for an SUV, but a sedan 
can get 30-31 on the highway.  At least I've 
seen the Eddie Bauer get 25.  The other 
problem with people driving too many SUV's 
is that these are heavier vehicles and 
they are doing more damage to the roads 
than ordinary cars would.  There should 
be an SUV tax based on the extra weight 
these vehicles have.  If your vehicle 
does more damage to the road than mine, 
you should pay more in taxes to drive it.  
Perhaps a different driver's license 
should be required to drive an SUV.

The only exception I can see for a new
SUV tax is for those who legitimately
need to be driving one.  People
who do carpooling, haul things, or
who frequently need to travel in 
terrain that warrants one.  Even so, 
the less we drive SUV's, the better.

At the very least, ads that show SUV 
owners abusing the natural environment 
as being better than someone who drives 
a car ought to be curbed.

A good hybrid by the way can get 50 to 70
miles to the gallon.  They get this by
using a combustion engine to charge 
batteries which run motors.  Germany 
developed this in World War II for 
Big Bertha.  It's not new technology
having been used in trains in one
form or another for years.

We tried to put an additive in gasoline
to control air pollution.  Unfortunately,
it kills the fish.  We need to stop patching
the standard internal gasoline engine with
a transmission vehicle and work on something
that will replace it.

On another note, I would like to see a 
worldwide effort to encourage the efficient 
use of the natural gas that is often just 
wasted in oil producing countries.  At 
least we're starting to use the methane
coming off of landfills to produce 
electrical power.

-- 
-----------------------------
Michael C. Robinson

Associates of General Studies 
PCC March 2003.

Views held by me do not 
necessarily coincide with 
every view posted on a 
mailing list this message 
appears on.
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