I thought ETOH had 65% of the energy of gas, so if it takes 0.6 gal of gas to produce 1 gal ETOH....you do come out 5% ahead.......such a deal!!

 

It appears I exaggerated. You are correct

Methanol is 56,800 BTU per US gallon or roughly half
my bad

Gasoline is 114,550 BTU per US gallon
Ethanol is 76,000 BTU per US gallon
10% e/Gas 111,836 BTU per US gallon


I don't feel any less dislike for it. Still burns food in our cars.
franc

 

I'm with you Franc, I'd sooner drink it. Cheers.

 

Franc,
I wonder what impact there has been in the transformation of the "marginal" farm land in some of the more arrid parts in Iowa or western Nebraska that turned them into massive fields of corn? I remember 20 years ago some western parts were pretty dry with limited farming potential? How in the world is there suddenly enough water to grow that corn?

What about the Ogallala Aquifer? It has been going dry at an alarming rate for over 100 years and threatens to affect farming and grazing in over 8 states from Texas to the Dakotas... and the N.A. economy as a result. Now it can support corn production which is ultimately destined to augment fuel.

And what has happened to the levels of the Great Lakes over that same period of time? Could water could have been .... naaaahhh ... Enginee .... naahhhh ..... what about widening and deepening the Mississ ... naahhh .... How about those ocean going vessels navigating a river where canal horses used to ..... naahhh ....

It makes you wonder about priorities ...

 

So basically, the national debt goes up about $1 a gallon since it's subsidized.

$15,000,000,000,000
---------------
300,000,000 people

= $50,000 for every man,woman & child in the country.

@ $100K-$150K for every person that actually works.

 

Here's a kicker for you. Much of the good farmland is not availablefor use because it is sequestered in the CRP programs. Crop Reserve programs are designed to take acreage out of production to promote higher farm prices, conserve soils and improve wildlife habitat.

These lands are secured under CRP for ten years. You cannot take them out just to take advantage of a good crop year. Therefore farmers receiving a yearly fallow acreage payment from Uncle Sam are pouring fertilizers in poor scrap land to grow corn.

All of this is paid for thru the Agriculture subsidies. A no longer needed program that, in this case, is doing exactly the opposite of it's original intention.

Central farm planning did not work under Communism. It won't work under socialism. Even the American version of it.

Community Organizers, Ivyleague graduates and oil barons should not be messing with farmin' Especialy if they are politicians spending your tax dollars.


roadster with a stick

 

Since the Presidential primary elections start in the corn production state of Iowa, don't expect the % of government subsidized ethanol to decrease. In fact, it's only going to increase.

 

I bet if you all paid the same for petrol as we do here you'd largely start buying smaller more eco cars like over here (Crossfires are well known green cars ). Face it your petrol is practicaly free .
Sits back and prepares to get shouted at

 

When gas prices go up we see that SUV's and large cars plummet in sales and the used car lots are full of them. When the gas price drops large car sales go up again, but less each time. It's a vicious circle, but a lot of North Americans love their big cars.
The V8 has largely been dropped from the new cars, we loved V8's. So we have settled for large V6's, we love HP and 250HP + V6's is what we have to settle for in the family car.
There are more and more small cars on the road though but some of us will not buy these, bigger is better and to hell with the price of gas.
By my reckoning my na Crossfire is a gas miser at 30 mpg+ on the highway, the Chrysler 300 .... not so much.
I encourage people to buy small cars, that means there's more gas for us.

 

Do Europeans (since the price is higher) drive a lot fewer miles per year than Americans? My wife & I together ave about 25-30,000/year.

We use about 100 U.S. gallons / month.

 

Small cars don't carry large groups of people.
Small cars don't pull boats, campers, or a work trailer

In fact, small cars are only good for commuting one or two @sses to work daily, and for that they are fine.
But, if you need to do the other things, a bigger vehicle is a requirement and having the "Extra" or "small" one a "luxury."


A minivan or and SUV can carry 6 or 7 people at 15 MPG. Beats the efficiency of your roadster's 2 butts at 30 MPG by 43%

That's 105 butt miles per gallon to 60.

 

swmbo just bought a Toyota Yaris - 5 seats and 50mpg. Granted its tiny but makes sense for short journeys. I average about 9k a year, but if I did more I'd seriously look at a BMW 1 series diesel. Bog standard one does 0-60 in 7.6 142mph and at worst 47.9mpg. I doubt it tows much but I don't have a trailer or caravan. Horses for courses I guess. Do you get them over there? What about a nice Jag 2.7 twin turbo diesel, quick, comfy and tow anything you like?
Don't get me wrong I love V8's and V12's but you've got to live in the real world (the $8 a gallon world) or just resign yourself to treating your transport as also an expensive hobby - which is ok by me

 

My step daughter just bought a Chrysler Aspen....never heard of it but guess its built on the Durango platform. A V-8?! RWD?! Dont understand.

BTW. went to work today and gas was 3.15 a gal; came home and its 3.29! 16 cents in 8 hours

 

V8 4WD\RWD basically a luxury Durango. Not in production anymore.

 

They do that to us all the time, but they must realize that we get a terrible shock each time.
So to minimize the shock when prices go down they do it a penny at a time very slowly, that's real considerate of them I feel.

Somehow it never goes down as much as it went up, strange that.

 

I read where in Indianapolis gas (unleaded regular) was $2.95 on Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning it was $3.39. $0.44 jump in 12 hours while everyone slept! My youngest son confirmed this when I talked with him late Wednesday. He & his family live there.

Here in Upstate SC gas (unleaded premium) has climbed to $3.39 at nearby stations (BP, Sunoco, ExxonMobil, Shell). Regular grade can be purchased for around $3.04-$3.19 depending on whether you use name brand or cut-rates.

 

I just paid 3.57 for prem not bad for NY.

 

I wonder, Are there any Crossfires in Alaska?

They pay dearly for fuel up there.


roadster with a stick

 

When I see Sarah next time I'll ask 'er.

 

Wife and i comute 600 miles a week, 80 miles hwy and 20 miles in morning traffic, 6 days a week. Just got new ford that is reported to get 40 to 44 miles a gal, IT will cut our gas in half from $400 to $ 200 a month