Any alternatives for conventional gasoline?

Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?

tommynospam@yahoo.com wrote:

Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?

The only biofuel alternative to gasoline would be alcohol. It's fairly easy to make and distill. Easy enough that anyone could do it in their back yard using inexpensive equipment. It's not quite as easy as biodiesel and nothing near as easy as burning waste vegetable oil. Making alcohol doesn't require you to purchase any chemicals though.
Anthony

I'll google this but do you have any links that you may have found that would describe how to do this?

wrote in message

Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?
I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful

as fossil fuel. The best runner-up in my opinion is hydrogen, but not in today's energy market, not by any stretch. It requires large amounts of electricity to produce, which is very expensive. I believe a massive investment in electrical generation from renewable sources, reducing it's unit cost considerably is the only hope. Mass-produced hydrogen is a contender for an economical alternative to petroleum. Even so, we will need to considerably improve transportation efficiency to make it worthwhile. The era of blasting down the interstate by yourself, using a hundred kilowatts of energy per hour to visit your pal in the next town, is soon to be at an end.
Pintle hooks are the answer. When everyone's going the same way on the interstate, they may as well share the same slipstream. Automobiles could all hook themselves together, bumper to bumper, automatically for miles at a stretch. You could even have a snooze until its time to take your exit. At that point, your car would detach itself from the "train" and take the offramp. The other cars would close the gap and reattach. Computers would calculate the proper amounts of "push and pull" to give everyone an equal benefit.
The potential savings from these land trains would be enormous. Of course, technological improvements would be required. Navigation systems would keep you on track, and in-synch with the others. It would also have to prevent someone from putting it in neutral and coasting along for free.

JoeSP wrote:

I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful as fossil fuel...

What is to doubt? We won't....
-- "We need an energy policy that encourages consumption" George W. Bush.
"Conservation may be a sign of personal virtue, but it is not a sufficient basis for a sound, comprehensive energy policy." Vice President Dick Cheney

On Tue, 02 May 2006 04:46:36 GMT, JoeSP wrote:

tommynospam@yahoo.com> wrote in message Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?
I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful as fossil fuel. The best runner-up in my opinion is hydrogen, but not in today's energy market, not by any stretch. It requires large amounts of electricity to produce, which is very expensive. I believe a massive investment in electrical generation from renewable sources, reducing it's unit cost considerably is the only hope. Mass-produced hydrogen is a contender for an economical alternative to petroleum. Even so, we will need to considerably improve transportation efficiency to make it worthwhile. The era of blasting down the interstate by yourself, using a hundred kilowatts of energy per hour to visit your pal in the next town, is soon to be at an end.
Pintle hooks are the answer. When everyone's going the same way on the interstate, they may as well share the same slipstream. Automobiles could all hook themselves together, bumper to bumper, automatically for miles at a stretch. You could even have a snooze until its time to take your exit. At

you're about 9 years old, right?
Do you have any idea how slow, expensive, and unreliable a cable car infrastructure is?

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message

On Tue, 02 May 2006 04:46:36 GMT, JoeSP wrote:

tommynospam@yahoo.com> wrote in message Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?
I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful as fossil fuel. The best runner-up in my opinion is hydrogen, but not in today's energy market, not by any stretch. It requires large amounts of electricity to produce, which is very expensive. I believe a massive investment in electrical generation from renewable sources, reducing it's unit cost considerably is the only hope. Mass-produced hydrogen is a contender for an economical alternative to petroleum. Even so, we will need to considerably improve transportation efficiency to make it worthwhile. The era of blasting down the interstate by yourself, using a hundred kilowatts of energy per hour to visit your pal in the next town, is soon to be at an end.
Pintle hooks are the answer. When everyone's going the same way on the interstate, they may as well share the same slipstream. Automobiles could all hook themselves together, bumper to bumper, automatically for miles at a stretch. You could even have a snooze until its time to take your exit. At
you're about 9 years old, right?
Do you have any idea how slow, expensive, and unreliable a cable car infrastructure is?

Not a very thoughtful comment. The technology to do all this is readily available. All we need is the will to get it done.

JoeSP wrote:

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message
On Tue, 02 May 2006 04:46:36 GMT, JoeSP wrote:

tommynospam@yahoo.com> wrote in message
Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?
I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful as fossil fuel. The best runner-up in my opinion is hydrogen, but not in today's energy market, not by any stretch. It requires large amounts of electricity to produce, which is very expensive. I believe a massive investment in electrical generation from renewable sources, reducing it's unit cost considerably is the only hope. Mass-produced hydrogen is a contender for an economical alternative to petroleum. Even so, we will need to considerably improve transportation efficiency to make it worthwhile. The era of blasting down the interstate by yourself, using a hundred kilowatts of energy per hour to visit your pal in the next town, is soon to be at an end.
Pintle hooks are the answer. When everyone's going the same way on the interstate, they may as well share the same slipstream. Automobiles could all hook themselves together, bumper to bumper, automatically for miles at a stretch. You could even have a snooze until its time to take your exit. At
you're about 9 years old, right?
Do you have any idea how slow, expensive, and unreliable a cable car infrastructure is?

Not a very thoughtful comment. The technology to do all this is readily available. All we need is the will to get it done.

The concept is utterly and totally ludicrous.
-- Many thanks,
Don Lancaster voice phone: (928)428-4073 Synergetics 3860 West First Street Box 809 Thatcher, AZ 85552 rss: http://www.tinaja.com/whtnu.xml email: don@tinaja.com
Please visit my GURU's LAIR web site at http://www.tinaja.com

Actually, the concept of an automated hiway with computers driving the cars is the subject of a lot of research. Seems like it would be safer and easier to let the computer and hiway network do the driving and navigating. What could possibly go wrong? Go wrong? gowrong?gowrong?gowrong?gow...

Reasons why it won't work:
-flat tires -mechanical failures -gas stops -rest stops -entering traffic trying to go by the train -fast traffic trying to shift lanes -can you say trucks? Big ass 18 wheeled trucks. What are you going to do with them? -the idiots that are going to go 80 no matter what.
As long as people have to eat, pee and buy gas at different times, it won't work.
Other than that, it's a great idea.

BobG wrote:

Actually, the concept of an automated hiway with computers driving the cars is the subject of a lot of research. Seems like it would be safer and easier to let the computer and hiway network do the driving and navigating. What could possibly go wrong? Go wrong? gowrong?gowrong?gowrong?gow...

Computer controlled drafting, 6" bumper to bumper and 100 mph. The cars would not need to be physically connected, just real close. Then car designs will be competing for the aerodynamic shape that steals the most energy from the other cars.
But first the highway would need to be fenced in such that no wild life can possible get in, even then there would need to be computer monitored cameras so that when something does get on the road the cars can be separated, slowed or stopped.
Can you imagine a 50 car draft into a bull moose at 80 mph.
And of course it is all controlled be software written by the lowest bidder, how long has it been since your computer did something not quite right.
I will keep my steering wheel thank you, hell I am not completely sold on fuel injection, figure I will give another 50 years or so to see how it works out.:) ________________ Andre' B.

You seem to miss the point that diesel engines ARE an excellent alternative to gasoline engines. With biodiesel from microalgae just over the horizon, promising a domestic and environmentally benign source that doesn't displace the use of good agricultural land for food, there is no need for gasoline-burning cars. Biodiesel pollutes the air far less than petrodiesel or gasoline, is good for engines, and with appropriate modifications for cold climates can wholly replace gasoline. Biodiesel can also be made from plants that will grow in near-desert conditions.

You seem to miss the point that diesel engines ARE an excellent alternative to gasoline engines. With biodiesel from microalgae just over the horizon, promising a domestic and environmentally benign source that doesn't displace the use of good agricultural land for food, there is no need for gasoline-burning cars. Biodiesel pollutes the air far less than petrodiesel or gasoline, is good for engines, and with appropriate modifications for cold climates can wholly replace gasoline. Biodiesel can also be made from plants that will grow in near-desert conditions.

On Tue, 02 May 2006 18:22:08 GMT, JoeSP wrote:

"AZ Nomad" wrote in message On Tue, 02 May 2006 04:46:36 GMT, JoeSP wrote:

tommynospam@yahoo.com> wrote in message Biodiesel is an awesome breakthrough from what I've read but is there any alternative to replacing conventional gasoline that is as easy to make as biodiesel?
I doubt we will ever discover another windfall of cheap energy so plentiful as fossil fuel. The best runner-up in my opinion is hydrogen, but not in today's energy market, not by any stretch. It requires large amounts of electricity to produce, which is very expensive. I believe a massive investment in electrical generation from renewable sources, reducing it's unit cost considerably is the only hope. Mass-produced hydrogen is a contender for an economical alternative to petroleum. Even so, we will need to considerably improve transportation efficiency to make it worthwhile. The era of blasting down the interstate by yourself, using a hundred kilowatts of energy per hour to visit your pal in the next town, is soon to be at an end.
Pintle hooks are the answer. When everyone's going the same way on the interstate, they may as well share the same slipstream. Automobiles could all hook themselves together, bumper to bumper, automatically for miles at a stretch. You could even have a snooze until its time to take your exit. At
you're about 9 years old, right?
Do you have any idea how slow, expensive, and unreliable a cable car infrastructure is?
Not a very thoughtful comment. The technology to do all this is readily available. All we need is the will to get it done.

Sure. If you don't mind going everywhere at 10mph, and paying twenty thousand dollars a year in extra taxes just to cover the downtown of the city nearest you.

Excellent point. Never thought about it that way. Thanks for the input.