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Date:         Sat, 5 Mar 2005 21:46:50 -0600
Reply-To:     Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Jim Felder <felder@KNOLOGY.NET>
Subject:      Re: gas prices- a canadian perspective
In-Reply-To:  <604230a723192df83195933653006f97@pottsfamily.ca>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

On Mar 5, 2005, at 7:44 PM, Greg Potts wrote:

> Hi Jim, > > I've heard about that study, but have not looked at it in detail. But > I can tell you this: If you want to know about the legitimacy of a > study, look at who produced it and who is quoting it. My bets are that > the study in question was done by the petrochemical industry, and > being quoted by one of their lobby groups. Any study submitted to the > press is designed to support an agenda. That's what they're for. Greg.

I have spent a lifetime in the public relations and advertising business. Few know better than I do that every piece of news that meets your eye was put there by someone who paid for you to see it, excepting murders and other uncontrollable acts. Commercial radio, newspapers and TV do not run on uncontrollable accidents, no matter what the current crop of "reality shows" and live studio wrestling would suggest. > > Personally, I would expect that if ethanol actually cost more energy > to produce than it contains, the price would reflect that. And I know > that even *if* current ethanol production techniques are inefficient, > that doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to stay that way as > the demand for ethanol increases. > > Biodiesel is definitely worth looking at, but the cost of re-fitting > my aircooled buses to a diesel powerplant is NOT insignificant. And as > the cost of gasoline continues to increase I can only expect the cost > of suitable donor diesel powerplants to increase. Sigh. I'm only just > now getting somewhat proficient wrenching on my gasoline engines.

I read a sad thing in the local newspaper two weeks ago. The article warned--get this--that if americans were to embrace efficient diesel and hybrid technologies, that we would lose thousands of high-paying manufacturing jobs to overseas markets. The author(s) assumed that there was no way that those technologies would be originated in the US. What is this saying?Who issued this press release? From what lobby did this come and why? I can usually figure this stuff out pretty easily. This one stumped me. > > Carbon added to the atmosphere due to transportation technology > doesn't care if it's from corn, sugar beets or dead dinosaurs, the end > result is no different.

This isn't true. If last year's sunshine was turned into vegetable and we extract the oil from them and burn them, it's the same as if the vegetable rotted into the ground. Year after year, it nets the same amount of sequestered carbon. If we dig it up, however, it's carbon that has not been part of our atmospheric cycle, but "new" carbon reintroduced from deep within the earth. There's a big difference, and it's well recognized, i.e. not just my opinion.

And there is absolutely no oil that comes from dead dinosaurs... another public relations coup that has become part of our conventional wisdom. All the dinosaurs that ever lived, if their flesh was turned to oil and not carried off by the insects as it always is, wouldn't power anything. It's all from plants. All of it. No animals involved. It's all either from plants that lived a long time ago, or plants that died in the last couple of years. It makes a big difference as to the amount of carbon in the atmosphere.

Guess what? Diesels are simpler than aircooled. I've had a 90 Carat 2.1 since new. It's about the most complicated thing I've ever worked on, up there with the porsche 911. Want to go back to the sixties? Work on a diesel. I also like driving the thing, dammit, so much so that I drive the 2.1 so seldom that the lifters always clatter.

If I put another engine in my 2.1 besides the original, I'll put a 1.9 turbo in it, I think. I am now working on turbo-izing my 1.6 diesel westy, but if I had not come by that engine cheap, I would be happy with the NA that came in it. I bought a vanagon diesel engine on ebay last year for $110 plus shipping, and I know they're more expensive now but not that expensive. I found my turbo at a local shop for $275. So the bargains are still to be had if you look around.

They really do rock. Hope you get the chance to mess around with diesels.

Jim > > Happy trails, > > Greg Potts > Toronto, Ontario, Canada > > 1973/74/79 Westfakia Conversion **Bob the Tomato** LY3H > 1977 Sunroof Automatic L63H/L90D > http://www.pottsfamily.ca/westfakia > http://www.busesofthecorn.com > > > On 5-Mar-05, at 8:24 PM, Jim Felder wrote: > >>> >>> >>> The bad news is that alcohol as an additive burns hotter and >>> produces less power than gasoline. My air-cooled buses are going to >>> hate that. >>> >> >> I am all for paying farmers for fuel rather than mid-east royal >> families, but I've seen studies--don't know if they're legit or >> not--that show that the energy benefit from the ethanol is less than >> the energy used to produce it. >> >> Vegetable diesel might do better. Besides, the carbon load it puts >> into the air came from last year's crop, so there's no net co2 gain >> unlike petro fuel which loads the atmosphere with carbon from long >> ago that otherwise wouldn't be there. >> >> Jim >> >> >> > >


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