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Brazil looks to use fuel alternative

Brazil looks to use fuel alternative

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For the world's gathering troupe of cheerleaders for ethanol as fuel for cars, the economic argument is clear.

When produced at its cheapest, ethanol comfortably undercuts the price of petrol and emits far less carbon dioxide.

But as well as heading off global warming, could ethanol also contribute to energy security as western governments fret about increasingly unpredictable and volatile supplies of oil and gas?

By far the world's most efficient producer is Brazil, which distils ethanol from sugar cane. Brazil has about half the world's sugar export market and aims to produce 40 per cent more ethanol by 2010.

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-- "I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted, and I won't be laid a hand on. I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them."

John Wayne

Reply to
Jim Higgins
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The US could do that too if we only had 80,000 vehicles on the road rather than 230,000,000 ;)

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

The Brazilians already have vehicles on the road that run on gasoline, ethanol, any combination of gasoline and ethanol, and natural gas. Said vehicles run without adjustment from what I've read. Below are two links for the very flex-fuel Brazilian cars. We could do it too if we (Detroit) got our butts in gear. What will probably happen is that Detroit will follow Toyota and Honda. We have some vehicles E85 capable and will be getting more but the choke point is the number of E85 pumps.

Another, not so tiny problem, are folks that have *non*-E85 vehicles that put E85 in the tank. I've heard that bad things will happen if a non-E85 car gets a full tank of E85. Seals and such (remember that I have the mechanical apptitude of a turnip)?

Brazil's Four-fuel Vehicle Ready for the Road

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Brazil Flex-Fuel Ethanol Cars to Stay in Top Gear
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Reply to
Jim Higgins

GM and Ford have been selling flex vehicles in the US for years. Ford has been selling vehicle that can burn gasoline/ethanol blends or propane to fleets since the eighties. The problem for the average user has always been where to get the fuel

General use of ethanol only, will be a problem as well. Where to get ethanol and at the price of gasoline. Current environmental laws prevent pumping premixed fuels through the gasoline distribution system.

Imagine what the environuts will do when we need to build new lines all over the county for ethanol LOL

mike hunt

Reply to
Mike Hunter

AFAIK under present state of the art ethanol has to be transported by truck since it will clean out the pipelines and arrive as ethanol plus a lot of crud.

Reply to
Jim Higgins

I always used to be able to reach for the weedwhacker or lawnmower without having to add more gas first. Now, the tanks are bone dry. Me thinks ethanol causes the mixture to evaporate rapidly. My new leaf blower seems to hold on to it's unused gasoline but that's a two cycle mix. It could be getting a too rich mixture, I don't know. I suppose I could buy a gallon of Coleman fuel and see if it remains in the tanks.

mark_

Reply to
mark digital

Actually, for once, the Big Two are on the curve, if not ahead of it. Ford and GM are selling flex-fuel vehicles in Brazil. I noticed this on a TV newsmagazine show (but I can't remember which one).

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Reply to
dh

Makes me wonder why they don't sell them here.

Reply to
Jim Higgins

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