Alternative fuel sources, and LEV's.

With gas prices reaching record amounts this summer and no releif until june at the earliest, I am beginning to do research into what is the most effective way to save money and be economical with my fuel consumption. It is my opinion that these new vehicles that run on flex fuel and gas/electric are not as efficient as automotive companies want us to believe. Additives and gimmicks like gas saving magnets dig further into the pockets of the consumer, and the fuel companies are monopolizing the automotive industry as a whole. I have witnessed the new conspiracy in the automotive and fuel industry. These new fuel saving techniques are in fact a gimmick.

I drive an 88 toyota pickup truck with a 4 cylinder 22RE engine. After a full engine rebuild and K&N cold air intake system I get anywhere from 22-29 MPG. This is not too bad considering the age of the truck and how many miles it has on it. I work in the automotive parts industry and I know which products are the best for saving fuel in the long run.

The peak of the automotive market occured when gas was still in the 1-2 dollar range. Numerous gas guzzling engines like the triton v-10, and the magnum engine series were sought after for more power and performance. SUV sales peaked and the american consumerist lifestyle perpetuated the gas crisis long before it began. With the economy going down hill and people running out of disposable income, they are stuck with these gas hogs, further sucking thier income dry. Is the timing a coincidence? Lately GM has been surpassed by the Japaneese auto market, and a new line of more fuel efficient vehicles. Problem is, the market is now flooded with gas guzzling vehicles that nobody can get rid of at KBB prices.

Enter E-85 ethanol.
A possible solution to our fuel crisis. One problem. Fuel costs are already making food prices go up, as vendors are "feeling the burn." Will investment from the gigantic fuel industry make crop prices skyrocket? It is still a fuel system based upon commodity trades. E-85 is no match for regular gasoline with ethanol added. Tremendous horsepower and mileage sacrifices are made when using a flex fuel vehicle.

E85 may be better for the environment and the American farmer, but it has some drawbacks.

The first is price: ethanol can be more expensive than gasoline, depending on where you live. Data on fuel prices from the DOE shows that in the Midwest (where much of the country’s ethanol is produced) E85 sells for nearly 30 cents less per gallon than conventional gasoline. However, on the West Coast, filling up with ethanol would cost a driver 35 cents more per gallon. In the mid-Atlantic states, E85 had an even higher premium: 44 cents per gallon.
The higher price of E85 in many areas is made worse by ethanol’s second drawback: ethanol, regardless of the price you pay for it, contains less energy than gasoline. This means that your car won’t go as far on a gallon of E85, and your fuel economy will decrease by 20-30 percent. This is bad news for consumers because even if the price of E85 at the pump is cheaper than gasoline, using ethanol may not be less expensive in the end.

you fill-up the Impala’s 17-gallon tank at a station in the Midwest, you’ll save $5.10 by using E85. So far, so good. However, you can’t drive as far on E85 and will have to refuel sooner than if you had purchased conventional gasoline. In fact, your cost per mile is higher using E85: 9.7 cents/mile vs. 8.4 cents/mile for regular gas.

A 1.3 cent per mile difference may not seem like much, but over the course of a year’s driving it adds almost $200 to your fuel costs.

autos.yahoo.com...

Hybrid vehicles
Hybrids hit the market about the same time as the E-85 models started production. The idea of a car that uses gasoline to accelerate to speed and charge batteries, to be used at cruising speed; seems good. When viewed as a cost-benefit analasys it may not seem so good. Truth be told the electric motors they use generate an efficiency rating of less than 6%. Being in automotive parts sales/engineering, I know that parts for these things cost an arm and a leg. The main battery bank of the average hybrid lasts 5-10 years at the most, or a range of roughly 75-100 thousand miles. With a replacement cost of 6-10 thousand dollars for a new battery bank, it is almost like buying a new car. Stretching the cost out over the years of usage, one will find that you aren't saving a dime, in fact you will probably be getting ripped even harder than just paying to fill up your tank. not to mention the recycling charge placed on your battery core upon replacement. Which will account for up to 40% of your cost for replacement service.

www.speedace.info...
www.treehugger.com...

Truth of the matter is that Biodiesel is the only fuel production method that is cost effective at all. It turns waste into energy, lowers pollution and saves money. However, it is not advertized on television, and no automaker advertizes a new biodiesel model of its vehicles. The modifications to your average diesel engines in order to run biodiesel are minimal, as well as cost-effective. It will generate the same, if not more horsepower. This technology is being surpressed.

republican candidate for governer David Sadler had this to say:

New Energy IS our only viable alternative to replacing fossil fuels and breaking the monopolistic economic tyranny of the Centralized Energy Distribution Model because, theoretically, energy from the vacuum is clean, endless in supply and extractable for the one time cost of an appliance. New Energy is the only viable solution to continued energy growth, ending the oil wars and restoration of our national energy security. If it isn't real yet, we must make it real.

www.david-sadler.org...
www.commutefaster.com...
www.treehugger.com...

What we have her is a true energy company and autmotive industry conspiracy. They have a theory to "pacify now, build problems for the future." heck if you can't sell cars, monopolize patents on auto parts, and build cars that need ridiculous reparis in the future. Or simply give them more of the same. If you decide on a hybrid...lease it, don't buy.

Originally posted by Eyeofhorus

Truth of the matter is that Biodiesel is the only fuel production method that is cost effective at all. It turns waste into energy, lowers pollution and saves money.

IMHO Biodiesel will only be cost effective as long as it's a secret. If biodiesel reaches even half the market penetration of say hybrid cars, you just wont find anymore cheap/free used french fry oil. The cost of it will just be driven up by demand.. not to mention what would happen if the weather severely hurt the harvest.

And I think the key to the whole problem is hidden in that statement. We don't need one "new" technology we need all of them. Spreading our energy dependence out will be the most cost efficient in the long run.

One of the best things you can do right now is keep your foot out of the loud pedal.

I went on a road trip last summer, I was in the south and it was hot, and the speed limit was 75. I got about 280 -300 miles per tank. Later I was driving in the cool in the night on a road that had a 55mph speed limit and I got over 400 miles on that tank. I filled up both times with around 23 gallons (in a 27 gal tank). Going faster with the air blasting really took a bite out my wallet.

True you are correct. Every time you accellerate to a speed over 55 mph you are losing fuel economy. It is the way your car is geared. You could have your transmission geared differently but then you would lose mileage at low speeds, and your engine would be under more strain. Thank god my car doesn't have A/C, that burns so much gas.