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U.S.
automakers: Too focused on fuels rather than fuel
efficiency?
Monday,
March 26, 2007
Shouldn't
automakers be more focused on fuel efficiency, rather than
on alternative fuels?
I hate being critical of the biofuel movement, but it is
simply a fact that corn-based ethanol is just not a very
good bio-fuel. Moreover, there are plenty of questions
still left unresolved regarding bio-fuels, especially
until cellulosic ethanol is economically achieved.
For example, if we triple or quadruple ethanol
consumption, how much will food prices increase? Also,
considering that water is more and more labeled as the
next oil, is it wise to use so much of this precious
resource to fuel our vehicles via water-greedy corn?
Furthermore, will global warming affect our ability to
produce many bio-fuels? And that's just for starters
Still, America should keep moving forward with biofuels.
Automakers, however, are focusing far too much on
bio-fuels, and fighting far too hard against fuel economy,
especially when automakers are using flex-fuel loopholes
to violate CAFE. America certainly doesn't need more land
yachts on the road that are in violation of CAFE's fuel
economy requirements, but allowed because they could
utilize flex-fuel. The U.S. needs significantly more fuel
efficient vehicles using bio-fuels.
Besides, adding more and more ethanol to America's energy
supply over the next decade might only significantly
suppress fuel prices, while also significantly increasing
fuel consumption, especially if large increases in fuel
economy are not achieved. Suddenly, the U.S. will be
creating massive amounts of ethanol to serve our massively
increased fuel consumption, and America will be just as
foreign energy dependant as ever - and doomed if severe
drought destroys our ethanol supply.
It's time for automakers to focus on the responsibilities
connected to their business, and their business is making
cars, not making and selling fuel.
Hybrid cars have proven that tremendous gains in fuel
efficiency and pollution are achievable with advanced
automotive technologies. In less than 10 years every
vehicle produced could be at least 50 percent more fuel
efficient than today's conventional vehicles. These
vehicles could be filled with gasoline, clean diesel,
ethanol, bio-diesel, solar power, wind power, clean coal
power, even hydrogen - or numerous combinations of these
fuels.
Quite simply, alternative fuels cannot be an excuse
against significant increases in fuel economy. Automakers
need to focus on fuel efficiency, not bio-fuels. There are
enough bio-fuels industries to manage the alternative fuel
business.
It's time for U.S. automakers to have some vision, and
it's time for an automotive revolution driven by fuel
efficiency, not alternative fuels. Revolt or perish.
posted
by Dahcredyns at
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