[Ducati] Fuel question

[Ben Blout]

I can help with this.

I would highly recommend an article from "Car and Driver" that was
published one year ago, "Tech Stuff: Ethanol Promises - Features".  It
can be found at 

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11174/tech-stuff-ethanol-promises.html

I have casually followed the subject since this article came out, and as
far as I know it is still correct on all basic points.

>-75% of 1 (E85) is much better than 0% of 1 (no oil)

Yes and no.  The problem is that current production methods of Ethanol
in the US come from corn, which is stupid from an environment and energy
point of view.  Under the most favorable assumptions, 75% of the energy
you get from Ethanol went into producing it, with fossil fuels.

But there is hope.  As the article states,
     On a scale of technical progress, today's ethanol factories are
     about where the internal-combustion engine was in the early 1900s

The holy grail is cellulosic ethanol - where the whole plant is used.
But it isn't reality yet.  Again quoting:
     If cellulosic ethanol were easy, it would already be on the road,
     because the government has been seriously funding research for
     about 30 years.

People have hopes, but to make a big dent in our gas usage, we are
looking at ten years at least.  And if you read the article, you will
learn that putting even a 50% dent in our gas usage won't do a lot for
our "dependence on foreign oil".

I hope I have given you enough tidbits to make you want to read the
article.

-Ben

P.S.  My opinion is that we need to head towards using electricity.  We
can make electricity from renewable and/or non-oil resources such as
nuclear, wind and solar.  


The one catch is that wind and solar are non-constant - you have more
some days and in some areas than other days and other areas.  If we get
fuel cells working, that electricity can be used to make hydrogen, and
then the hydrogen transported (like gas and oil) for use when and where
it is needed.