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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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