NFR: The War in Ukraine

[Rob Allen]

Ethanol is such bullshit.

On many many levels
1. It's very poor fuel
2. It destroys engines ( fuel systems)
3 it doesn't store well
4. Requires additives after in your tank
5. Requires farm land better used for growing food.
I'm sure there's more.

 

[SSPey]

Ethanol from corn as currently done in the US is bad. But not all ethanol needs to be, or is, from corn.

Sugarcane ethanol in Brazil, for example, yields nearly ~50% more ethanol than corn per acre. It produces quite a bit more energy than it consumes.

Even better is the prospect of using less energy-intensive, highly productive non-food feedstocks such as switchgrass or miscanthus. These plants are incredibly productive and can be grown on marginal land unsuitable for food agriculture.

Corn ethanol was always intended as a “soft-entry” into biofuels, simply because farmers already know how to grow it. What needs to happen (but change is slow) is a transition to non-corn ethanol with a much smaller footprint and fewer displacement impacts. It’ll still suck for small motors, but that’s a small part of total energy use.

 

[Canuck from Kansas]

For the article happy to "prove" common sense may I present only the hippest news source with pictures and all that. It's where all the cool kids get their news, or at least it was.

The Ethanol Scam

Politicians are high on turning corn into fuel — but ethanol not only hurts the environment, it's also one of America's biggest political boondoggles

www.rollingstone.com

Fear not though as the current administration has just decided that we are going to water down our gas to fifteen percent ethanol this summer. Yeah it burns dirty but corn is cool and it nukes motors so we can get on to electric faster and braver for a clean green future....

Don't know much about this, but my understanding is E15 is cheaper (10 cents per gallon?), so the ban on E15 was supposedly lifted to help the consumer. Is milage as good with E15 as E10, or is it less, meaning any price saving per gallon will be offset by lower mileage?

Thanks in advance for helping me understand.

cheers

 

[Anonymous member 148]

I have a commercial fuelling card for this purpose. Ethanol free 87 is pretty available considering the false green washing and it's prolific nature. Ethanol free 92 is tougher to come by but it's around. I get forty gallons at a time. I'm going to talk to my local fuel company about delivering 55 gallon drums to my residence.

What company do you use? I've toyed around with the idea of getting a pac pride membership since I have a box truck for my business.

 

[Flymph]

General Motors says it will make only electric vehicles by 2035, Ford says all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric by 2030 and VW says 70% of its sales will be electric by 2030. This isn't a fad or greenwashing it is fact. I hope all these promises happen sooner than later because I, personally don't like fishing in hot weather.

Billy, I would take that picture of snow you posted any day over the 118degree stretch we had to go through last summer! That picture looks "wonderful" compared to the fires that are already causing folks to evacuate in New Mexico.

 

[Zak]

Europe starts drafting a ban on Russian oil imports. (Published 2022)

www.nytimes.com

 

[SurfnFish]

. I kept my tank full and that helped to keep the junk out of the carb.

Since car companies started putting fuel pumps inside the bottom of fuel tanks, vital to keep the tank from ever getting too low, as the gasoline also provides the cooling for the pump. Fastest way to burn up a fuel pump is run it low enough that the low fuel warning light comes on.
Regarding ethanol - cheaper, with less BTU per gallon, more damage to the engine. The feel good propaganda for the masses that does more harm than good....akin to posting pics of recent snowfall as if it disputes climate change.

 

[Buzzy]

For the article happy to "prove" common sense may I present only the hippest news source with pictures and all that. It's where all the cool kids get their news, or at least it was.

The Ethanol Scam

Politicians are high on turning corn into fuel — but ethanol not only hurts the environment, it's also one of America's biggest political boondoggles

www.rollingstone.com

Fear not though as the current administration has just decided that we are going to water down our gas to fifteen percent ethanol this summer. Yeah it burns dirty but corn is cool and it nukes motors so we can get on to electric faster and braver for a clean green future....

Thanks DC - I used to be a cool kid and subscribe to Rolling Stone. I'll read through it. Merci!

 

[Dustin Chromers]

Don't know much about this, but my understanding is E15 is cheaper (10 cents per gallon?), so the ban on E15 was supposedly lifted to help the consumer. Is milage as good with E15 as E10, or is it less, meaning any price saving per gallon will be offset by lower mileage?

Thanks in advance for helping me understand.

cheers

You're correct in that it will be about a dime a gallon cheaper. However you are also correct in that it is less efficient therefore you use more to get where you're going. Additionally it burns less pure and is more polluting especially in summer temps. There is also the wear and tear aspect on especially older machines or performance machines. I don't think the newer injected cars that are driven frequently without storage will be noticeably impacted as they are computer controlled ignitions that compensate for such things. Yet at the end of the day it's my opinion that you are just watering down gas and it's a bad policy decision made to fool consumers. Again, just my understanding and opinion. And I also have an affinity for older and performance machines so I'm an anti ethanol nazi.

Another fun gas fact. There is no more energy in 92 octane than there is in 87. All higher octane does is delay detonation making it safer for higher compression motors and prevent knocking.

More gas fact fun. Not all fuel is created equal. Shell ethanol free tests best reliably in my experience. Dyno tuners that really know their stuff will always seek to tune to a consistent fuel. One should then run that fuel as that is what was used to tune for optimal performance.

 

[Dustin Chromers]

What company do you use? I've toyed around with the idea of getting a pac pride membership since I have a box truck for my business.

I have PetroCard which bought or is affiliated with Pacific Pride. They have a website that will tell you what each location carries which is handy. They are also highly responsive and have great customer care. I thought I may have gotten bad fuel when the whole gas crazies started. It smelled different and was a different colour than the clear ethanol free I normally purchase there. They were quick to note that it came from a different supplier and tested immediately. They got back to me with the results in that it was good fuel. I tested by running in another similar machine and also concurred that it was my machine with the issue and not bad fuel. Good customer feedback and support is a rare and welcome trait of any business in today's world.

 

[FinLuver]

Fear not though as the current administration has just decided that we are going to water down our gas to fifteen percent ethanol this summer. Yeah it burns dirty but corn is cool and it nukes motors so we can get on to electric faster and braver for a clean green future....

Mentioned above, but didn’t want to point out the Bumbling B…
(Didn’t want an Admin Timeout)

 

[FinLuver]

Don't know much about this, but my understanding is E15 is cheaper (10 cents per gallon?), so the ban on E15 was supposedly lifted to help the consumer. Is milage as good with E15 as E10, or is it less, meaning any price saving per gallon will be offset by lower mileage?

Thanks in advance for helping me understand.

cheers

Heard something like “it produces about 5% less energy output as just regular gas”…less fuel efficiency and more pollution to burn…not to mention it damages parts and voids car warranties.

 

[cody-]

Good uses of corn:
- popcorn, cornbread, grits, tamales
- corn liquor
- corn starch
- ethanol for chemical and pharmaceutical purposes

Bad uses of corn:
- ethanol fuels
- high fructose corn syrup
- eating it on or off the cob
- feed for raising livestock
- using subsidies as a political tool for winning votes in Iowa, Nebraska, etc.
- everything else

These lists are definitive and I will not be taking rebuttals at this time.

 

[RCF]

Remember WPPSS aka WHOOPS?

Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS)

The Washington Public Power Supply System (WPPSS) started in the 1950s as a means to guarantee electric power to homes and industry in the Northwest. Well-meaning officials believed that building nuc

www.historylink.org

Talk about a Washington's nuclear disaster...

 

[Dustin Chromers]

Mentioned above, but didn’t want to point out the Bumbling B…
(Didn’t want an Admin Timeout)

Critique of policy is fair game I think. I don't care who makes bad policy. If it's bad policy it's bad policy. You know like draining oil reserves instead of moving towards energy independence. That's bad policy that hurts the American people and should be discussed fairly. That can be done without lambasting the man or woman creating said bad policy. I don't think it's a big secret who is creating said policies but the policy itself should be up for examination. It's far more productive to focus on the ideas and policy than get into the name calling or even naming of names in some cases.

Yes people do it. Yes it detracts from their message and ideas. No I'm not perfect in this respect either. Yes I try. Yes I would like to have a genuine discussion about these things. Yes I think being energy dependant is absurd and foolish. No I don't want to have open season on polluting the place. Yes I think there can be a balance. No, I do not fear the admin for stating an unpopular view so long as done fairly and with tact.

 

[Zak]

Good uses of corn:
- popcorn, cornbread, grits, tamales
- corn liquor
- corn starch
- ethanol for chemical and pharmaceutical purposes

Bad uses of corn:
- ethanol fuels
- high fructose corn syrup
- eating it on or off the cob
- feed for raising livestock
- using subsidies as a political tool for winning votes in Iowa, Nebraska, etc.
- everything else

These lists are definitive and I will not be taking rebuttals at this time.

I don't know, I love corn on the cob in season.

My grandma was asked what her favorite food was, and she said: "It's so hard to decide. I really like corn on the cob with butter and salt, and mashed potatoes with butter and salt, and noodles with butter and salt."

 

[Billy]

General Motors says it will make only electric vehicles by 2035, Ford says all vehicles sold in Europe will be electric by 2030 and VW says 70% of its sales will be electric by 2030. This isn't a fad or greenwashing it is fact. I hope all these promises happen sooner than later because I, personally don't like fishing in hot weather.

Billy, I would take that picture of snow you posted any day over the 118degree stretch we had to go through last summer! That picture looks "wonderful" compared to the fires that are already causing folks to evacuate in New Mexico.

My post was a joke. I got a lot of bass ponds I hope are soaking up this moisture.

Here is the thing I don't get about these green electric cars and the direction we are headed. They have more and more computers and screens. Have you seen a Tesla verses a first generation Prius? If the goal is truely less use of resources why is everything in them seemingly using more resources????

 

[Zak]

My post was a joke. I got a lot of bass ponds I hope are soaking up this moisture.

Here is the thing I don't get about these green electric cars and the direction we are headed. They have more and more computers and screens. Have you seen a Tesla verses a first generation Prius? If the goal is truely less use of resources why is everything in them seemingly using more resources????

I hope it is not too long before there are affordable, basic electric cars with swappable batteries and stations where you can swap them. Like propane cylinders. I don't want fancy navigation systems, just decent speakers and a screen that will mirror my phone.

 

[SilverFly]

My post was a joke. I got a lot of bass ponds I hope are soaking up this moisture.

Here is the thing I don't get about these green electric cars and the direction we are headed. They have more and more computers and screens. Have you seen a Tesla verses a first generation Prius? If the goal is truely less use of resources why is everything in them seemingly using more resources????

Well all those chips are keeping me a job... and having a big (relative term) chunk of my 401k in a Semiconductor fund, is giving me a glimmer of hope for retirement before I need a wheelchair. Resource wise, semiconductors aren't exactly "green" to produce, but it's not like we need a railroad line to bring in the raw materials and ship product. I'd bet our weekly output would fill a box truck or two at most.

The industry and my company has also done a decent job at reducing or replacing nasty materials with less hazardous ones. Some things like Arsenic, will be hard to get away from since the basic physics of how certain semiconductors work rely on it and other nasty materials. But again, the quantities used are miniscule. At least compared to "traditional" industries.

 

[Flymph]

My post was a joke. I got a lot of bass ponds I hope are soaking up this moisture.

Here is the thing I don't get about these green electric cars and the direction we are headed. They have more and more computers and screens. Have you seen a Tesla verses a first generation Prius? If the goal is truely less use of resources why is everything in them seemingly using more resources????

It seems to me that every vehicle (gas, hybrid, EV) commercial I see on TV features a dashboard similar to a fuselage in a Stealth bomber. My best answer to you is consumer demands for an ever growing list of gadgets. Having done some research on new EVs one notices the vast list of "extras" that might clog up an instrument panel. It is all about individual choices. I would hope to duplicate the simplicity of our 2005 Prius and avoid the frills you point out.

I did not take your snow post as a joke or that serious but, instead, envied you for adding to your local snow pack.