Do you drive a diesel car?

[Jolly Rogers]

Insane gas price turning drivers to veggie oil

Too bad this is only good for diesel cars... some genius needs to come up with an equivalent for us non-diesel drivers pronto!

[Agent ONE]

I miss leaded gas. The smell was great.

[Kin]

Do they still have poluted cars in the US?

[Mechafan]

Now that is a nice idea. Gas prices are insane right now.

[Southcross]

damn, now i wish I had chosen the Diesel option for my VW...

[eriku]

Awesome. The bright side of these high gas prices is that it's going to open a lot more eyes to fuel alternatives. Whatever happened to that engine Ford was developing that runs on the energy given off from the combination of hydrogen and oxygen and it's only emission is water? Or did I dream that?

[Knight26]

Or how about an alchohal fueled engine, very clean burning, primary emmission is water, oh and the only thing that needs to be changed in order to convert existing gasoline powered cars is replacing their fuel lines and adjusting the carberator. The entire US could be converted in 10 years if we didn't have a president and congress in the back pocket of the oil companies.

[Winkle]

Geeze, you folks have to pay like 50 cents per litre for gas and you're already complaining? In Canada we're dealing with prices ranging from 85 cents to almost a dollar for a litre of gas.

[wolfx]

There was once a car that ran on french fry grease.

It would go to mcdonalds or any fastfood outlet, and get free french fry grease (which is usually thrown away) and it ran on that.

[~Duo~Trenten]

Awesome. The bright side of these high gas prices is that it's going to open a lot more eyes to fuel alternatives. Whatever happened to that engine Ford was developing that runs on the energy given off from the combination of hydrogen and oxygen and it's only emission is water? Or did I dream that?

No you didnt dream it. In Florida the Department of Homeland Security actualy owns some hydrogen powered focus's. It was on the news a while ago.

In california some church womens group bought about 100 honda civic's that run off of natural gas.

Edited May 25, 2004 by ~Duo~Trenten

[yellowlightman]

Geeze, you folks have to pay like 50 cents per litre for gas and you're already complaining? In Canada we're dealing with prices ranging from 85 cents to almost a dollar for a litre of gas.

What's a liter?

The best solution to rising gas prices is to buy a car that doesn't use so much damn gas. There are a lot out there, but people don't want to give up their SUVs and yet still complain.

[Isamu Atreides 86]

Geeze, you folks have to pay like 50 cents per litre for gas and you're already complaining?  In Canada we're dealing with prices ranging from 85 cents to almost a dollar for a litre of gas.

What's a liter?

The best solution to rising gas prices is to buy a car that doesn't use so much damn gas. There are a lot out there, but people don't want to give up their SUVs and yet still complain.

Hybrids are the solution! 44 miles a gallon can't be beat! (at least i think thats what they run). the only down side is they are more expensive than reg cars...

[yellowlightman]

Geeze, you folks have to pay like 50 cents per litre for gas and you're already complaining?  In Canada we're dealing with prices ranging from 85 cents to almost a dollar for a litre of gas.

What's a liter?

The best solution to rising gas prices is to buy a car that doesn't use so much damn gas. There are a lot out there, but people don't want to give up their SUVs and yet still complain.

Hybrids are the solution! 44 miles a gallon can't be beat! (at least i think thats what they run). the only down side is they are more expensive than reg cars...

Hybrids aren't more expensive. The Toyota Prius starts just above $20k. Only problem with hybrids is limited supply... At my dealership where I work we have an 8 month waiting list on the Prius, and with the hybrid Highlander coming along pretty soon that's going to have a huge waiting list as well.

Ford also just announced it's new hybrid SUV. I'd make a joke about Ford reliability, but I think Ford just licensed Toyota's technology so maybe it's okay.

[Southcross]

Awesome. The bright side of these high gas prices is that it's going to open a lot more eyes to fuel alternatives. Whatever happened to that engine Ford was developing that runs on the energy given off from the combination of hydrogen and oxygen and it's only emission is water? Or did I dream that?

I forget what the car is called, but I believe there is a new 2005 coming out from either Ford, or maybe Honda. I was watching a car show and they discussed it, I wished I had watched it closer. It uses Hydrogen as a fuel, the benefit is the exhaust is water

IMO, the HUGE drawbacks... 1. WTF the Conoco doesn't have Hydrogen? Where do you fill up? 2. egads if you get into an accident there will be nothing left (can we say Hindenburg??) 3. what would your engine sound/run like? I guarantee you, it will impress NO ONE! 4. It will look like your car is taking a leak every where you go. Besides the "rusting" factor having a metal vehicle produce water as a byproduct 5. What kind of HP and torq could you get out of an engine like that, with the average American being considered "overweight", the damn thing would move like a golf cart 6. Methane would be an easier source of fuel, garbage>rots=methane vs the generally accepted method to produce Hydrogen is from water. By applying electricity (high voltage) to water you can seperate the hydrogen and Oxygen atoms... unfeasable outside of industrial applications. maybe they came up with some "new" process, but as I recall from college Chem, there are no natural ways to produce Hydrogen. Well I guess you could cap a Volcano, capture the Sulfuric/Hydrogen compounds as they come out, chemically seperate them before they become Sulfuric Acid.... Ack, might as well burn children as a fuel source

[Graham]

I always have a chuckle when I hear Americans complaining about their 'high' gas prices.

Gas prices here in Hong Kong are about US$1.6 per litre (one of the highest prices in the world) and have been that high for years. You don't know how lucky you are.

Also, gas prices in the UK, France and Germany are quite a bit more more expensive than in the US.

Not sure about Japan, but I would imagine it is high......Rob?

Graham

[Jolly Rogers]

I always have a chuckle when I hear Americans complaining about their 'high' gas prices.

Gas prices here in Hong Kong are about US$1.6 per litre (one of the highest prices in the world) and have been that high for years. You don't know how lucky you are.

Also, gas prices in the UK, France and Germany are quite a bit more more expensive than in the US.

Not sure about Japan, but I would imagine it is high......Rob?

Graham

Unlike these countries, in many areas of the US public transportation is not even an option. Having your own car is a neccessity of life, not a luxury.

[Zentrandude]

i remember that car that ran on french fry grease. that tv documentry was cool on how those 2 kids heavly modified the engine to accept it and ran across the country.

I am very surprised on how well the hybrids are selling now, my friend owns a car dealership and he was hesitant on the hyrbids so he ordered only 5 cuz if they dont sell they are stuck with it, but with the gas prices being this high he can't get them to stay on the lot for very long.

[Kin]

What about the "OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM"?

[MSW]

Oh my, lots of nieve people here

Folks, the primary emmision of a gasoline fueled engine is water...jeesh, why else do you think your car's exaust system is the first thing to rust out (from the inside out, I might add)?

every alternative fuel sources faces huge hurtles before reaching mass consumption...for starters, how exactly do you plan on storeing hydrogen?...How exactly is alcohol (and or derivitives line ethonol) to compete with gasoline when it costs more to produce per gallon (not only that but has a lower BTU, requireing more fuel to make the same net engine power)?

Even then you still have to deal with unburnt fuels and emissions, as the major contributor isn't the fuel but the lack of efficenty within the design of the internal combustion engine...

Even then alternative power sources like the fuel cell have thier own set of problems...idealy fuel cells run the best on pure hydrogen and oxygen, but that requires a means of fuel storage on par with NASA rocket engines...Hydrogen is a netoriously small element that leaks through everything, so you would need some form of carrier fuel, and a process to refine the hydrogen back out again...that process takes energy, energy that the fuel cell produces...which in turn reduces it's overall efficientcy...

We could easily double or even triple our fuel economy for even SUVs overnight (heck withing the next 10 seconds) if we only change the way we drive (and it's a big, BIG change)...but this of course would require some drasticly different rules of the road and means to police them...and not one bolt needs to be ajusted, not one engine computer needs to be modified...but that won't happen, it's just easyer to let the engineers figure it all out

[the white drew carey]

The problem, at this time, with hydrogen fuel is that it costs as much, if not more than gas, to produce and refine the level of hydrogen needed to run the engine. Technology is moving swiftly with this one, but with the advent, and rising popularity, of hybrids, progress has taken on a less frenetic pace than originally set.

Jolly Rogers is correct. Most Asian and European countries have well developed mass-transit systems, which is lacking in most of America, and then even the mass-transit systems in the big cities are lackluster at best. For many people who need to commute up to and above 50 miles a day for work, a car is the only option.

Winkle- Yeah, you Canadians may pay more in gas, but you make up for it with those cheap pharmacueticals. On average, US citizens pay 40%-80% more for the same prescription drugs than anywhere else in the world.

[~Duo~Trenten]

The main problems with hydrogen are refining and storing it. The problem with refining hydrogen is that it still emits emissions into the air which most people dont know about. The problem with storing it is that new stations would have to be built and or modified and most gas station owners are not willing to do this yet because there is no real market for hydrogen yet.

[Southcross]

What about the "OIL FOR FOOD PROGRAM"?

I tried these programs:

"Will work for Gas"

"Sexual favors for Crude"

"Gun for hire for Fuel"

"Selling my Soul for a tank of Petrol"

atleast I got a hit from the "Sexual favors" one, but all I got was a jar of Lube

[Jawjaw]

Gas is still cheap. Milk and even bottle water costs more than a gallon of gas. People overseas pay almost the same for one liter than we do for a gallon. One gallon is like 3.8 liters. Do the math.

Water is the primary emission from a internal combustion engine? Say what? There are some water vapors but carbon dioxide is the main result. The water you see spitting out of the exhaust in the mornings is result of condensation in the exhaust.

High gas prices is good for a lot of people who work in oil related industries but bad for everyone else. Low gas prices also prevent alternative fuels and more efficient cars from being developed.

Also, one of the biggest problems with alternative fuel is not the technology but the delivery system. There is a huge oil pipeline infrastructure that can't just be switched over to something else.

[Wabbit]

If they have a cheap alternative for petrol, I'll be freaking happy! Petrol in the Netherlands is €1,29 = US$1.60 per litre!!!

Edited May 25, 2004 by Wabbit

[justvinnie]

Gas is still cheap. Milk and even bottle water costs more than a gallon of gas. People overseas pay almost the same for one liter than we do for a gallon. One gallon is like 3.8 liters. Do the math.

Water is the primary emission from a internal combustion engine? Say what? There are some water vapors but carbon dioxide is the main result. The water you see spitting out of the exhaust in the mornings is result of condensation in the exhaust.

High gas prices is good for a lot of people who work in oil related industries but bad for everyone else. Low gas prices also prevent alternative fuels and more efficient cars from being developed.

Also, one of the biggest problems with alternative fuel is not the technology but the delivery system. There is a huge oil pipeline infrastructure that can't just be switched over to something else.

Actually, the combustion of any organic compound generates CO2 and water depending on the compound. Since gasoline is basically a mix of hydrocarbons, the water is where all the hydrogens go in a balanced reaction.

vinnie