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> Having said all that, moving to EVs will reduce the use of corn ethanol anyway. Ethanol for fuel was stillborn in the US by using corn to create ethanol, whi
by Maursault 4y ago
> Having said all that, moving to EVs will reduce the use of corn ethanol anyway.
Ethanol for fuel was stillborn in the US by using corn to create ethanol, which is too inefficient and competes with food. What ever happened to the 20:1 ratio of using switchgrass, which no one eats? And why mix ethanol with gas, anyway? We could just use pure ethanol, which is more performant than gas at the cost of a 1/3 of a tank less milage, which is a fair trade.
- ZeroGravitas 4y agoI think we will slowly increase the ethanol content of gasoline as we transition to EVs, but still come out ahead, particularly in nations that make their ethanol in slightly greener ways than the US.
- Maursault 4y agoI think it'd be better to cut off petroleum at the knees and just exclusively use biodiesel and pure ethanol, but made from a more efficient source than corn.
- dieselgate 4y agoWe could also use biodiesel produced with ethanol which is more performant than gas and allows maybe 35-50% (or more?) more mileage Edit: mileage
- Maursault 4y agoThe average distance driven is only 40 miles a day. What is the concern about having a vehicle capacity of 235 miles as opposed to 400? If greater distance capacity is needed, biodiesel alone is an valid option. Mixing fuels just seems silly to me.
- dieselgate 4y agoHow do you mean mixing fuels being silly? I’m no expert but it seems quite common - hybrid vehicles for example; biodiesel with petrol diesel (and other things like motor oil); and not sure about gasoline but it seems to commonly be mixed with other things like ethanol.
- Maursault 4y agoSilly in that it is not necessary. Any ICE vehicle can be converted inexpensively to burn pure ethanol, no petrol required. Any diesel will accept biodiesel as fuel without mixing with petrol. If fossil fuels are a problem, and ethanol and biodiesel covers all petrol applications, why bother keeping petrol around?
- tengbretson 4y agoIn my opinion this isn't the best lens to view ethanol through. If you start from the position that the government manipulating the food market to ensure a near-constant over-supply is beneficial for long-term food security, then the ability to funnel excess production back to a useful energy source at a rate even close to 1:1 is fine.
- Maursault 4y ago> If you start from the position that the government manipulating the food market to ensure a near-constant over-supply is beneficial for long-term food security I don't agree with the premise. Oversupply causes waste, not food security.