The Fuel Crisis and Firebirds...

Petrol crept up another 3 cents at my local Exxon station last night, which increased the heat on my gas-guzzling '85 Firebird.

But actually, my morning fill-up brought cheerful news. After cleaning the carbs out this weekend, along with cleaning the air filter, I'd managed to squeeze a whole extra mile-and-a-bit a gallon out of the old girl. I've added some additive to her fuel as well, which should hopefully see things improve even further.

But it made me think even harder about the gas crisis and what's to be done about it. I went online to find out about ethanol and how realistic it would be to convert my Firebird to run off E85 (the 85% ethanol fuel mixture that's the highest percentage allowed by US law.)

Well, the answer is - Not Very (realistic, that is.)

Only because New Jersey does not have a single ethanol pump in the entire state. There are 6 within 200 miles of here, but they're all in New York or Pennsylvania. Considering my 14 gallon tank only takes me 200 miles, it's not practical to consider switching to moonshine quite yet since I'd run out of juice driving there or back.

But there was good news!

Firstly, that ethanol is selling for about $1 less than regular gas, so if I was able to make the switch (and there was a source of fuel near me) it would actually prove to be cost effective. Previously, because of the cost of corn, the subsidies to farmers and the tariffs of imported ethanol, E85 ironically cost the same (or more) than regular gas. Now OPEC's got too greedy and priced themselves above the alternative.

Secondly - there appear to be no practical issues about switching my Firebird to ethanol.

Firebird Fuel Frenzy

Ethanol works in pretty much the same way as petrol - it's injected into the pistons and ignited with a spark, turning the crank and powering your wheels.

The only major difference is that the mixture of air/fuel needs to be richer and the timing needs to be adjusted, so the fuel ignites slightly earlier. With fuel-injected cars, making the 'shift' to Ethanol can be as simple as just filling your tank (since even my '86 Lincoln Town Car had an on board computer which could vary the fuel mixture.)

My Firebird gets it's fuel from duel-barrel Holley carburetors, though, which is a mechanical bit of kit that can't adjust itself to handle the new fuel. In order to switch to ethanol, the carb's jets need to be increased by between 25/40% and the automatic choke adjusted to increase the mixture. Basically, you need a new set of carbs - which would set you back about $500.

But that's it!

Horror stories about ethanol eating rubber hoses and gaskets are increasingly being debunked, as more and more converted cars run for hundreds of thousands of miles without running into problems. In actual fact, because of the gas crisis of the mid seventies, many car manufacturers have been producing cars robust enough to handle the switch to ethanol as early as the 1980's (just in case it ever happened.)

But that brings us back to the original problem - where the hell am I going to find fourteen gallons of ethanol every time I need to drive somewhere?

The Ethanol Enigma

My brother's a very smart chap and has been educating me on the logistics of ethanol and it's production, plus how it (unfavourably) stacks up against biodiesel.

For America, ethanol is not the answer. Even if all our corn got diverted to fuel production, we could only domestically produce about 20% of America's demand for gas.

Plus, that would send food prices rocketing. Corn on the cob would be a luxury item.

However, just because ethanol doesn't solve America's gas crisis, it doesn't mean it won't solve mine! My brother caught my imagination by mentioning the idea of home fuel production - and how wouldn't it be wonderful if farmers and truckers could 'brew their own' biodiesel or ethanol at home.

Screw the farmers. What about me?

Home Brew

Well, amazingly enough, the answer to personal fuel-production already exists - and it's hitting the open market this month.

Fascinating website Change2E85.com is unveiling the EFuel100 Micro Fueler.

Basically, it's a backyard still that makes fuel instead of whiskey. Using sugar or animal feed (once it's broken down with yeast) the EFuel100 Micro Fueler can produce ethanol for as little as a dollar a gallon. What's more, the unit costs $10,000 (which might be reduced if the government gives tax credits) and can sit in your back yard right next to your garage.

Now it's not perfect. The machine runs off sugar and at the moment, the American government slaps a huge tariff on imported sugar, making it cost about 20 cents a pound wholesale. Cost-effective fuel would only be possible if sugar was sold 'at cost' instead of safe-guarding the subsidized American farmer.

Also, you need to get a licence for a still like this (in case you turn to moon-shining) and only property owners are allowed to have one.

But given the right circumstances, there is nothing to stop somebody buying a still and producing their own ethanol fuel - pretty much making themselves independent of foreign oil and the greedy oil companies.

The Future

It's fair to assume that the next generation of passenger vehicles will be powered by electricity and oil itself will be a dying industry. But for classic car enthusiasts, or gun-toting survivalists, the thought of producing your own fuel sounds very appealing.

Unfortunately, with a baby on the way and other expensive realities to consider, I'm not really in a position to drop ten grand on a 'home stil'l to bio-fuel my Firebird. But it's nice to know that the technology already exists to lift the yoke of the oil companies.

Already, more and more people are striking out for energy independence. Maybe, in the not-too distant future, I can be one of them.

If you're interested in the realities of alternative fuel, please go and check out Change2E85.com to find out how YOU can make the switch!

Ethanol...

While we're on the subject of fuel (see my previous post, The Great American Gas Swindle Revisited) I thought it might be worth writing a bit about ethanol.

I'm not an expert! This is just stuff I've read online and in The Economist. But it all seems pretty credible to me.

What is Ethanol?

Ethanol is a petroleum substitute made from various organic sources, such as sugarcane or, in the United States, corn. Presently, a mix of 10% corn-fuel ethanol is added to most of the petrol in the United States, reducing our reliance on foreign oil.

On the surface of it, ethanol looks absolutely fantastic as a replacement for petroleum. First off, it's pretty much a standard replacement. Most modern cars could run on 100% ethanol fuel without any adjustment whatsoever. Even old clunkers like mine could run pretty easily on ethanol once some of the gubbins had been adjusted.

Secondly, we can produce ethanol fuel in the United States, which is awesome. It's a renewable resource, unlike oil (which is rapidly running out. Currently, the supply can barely meet the demand.) Additionally, the three major suppliers of oil to the United States are Venezuela, Iran and Saudi Arabia. Venezuela and Iran hate our guts, while 'friendly' Saudi Arabia was the birthplace of no less than 15 of the 19 hijackers responsible for 9/11.

So on the face of it, roll on the production of corn-ethanol! Let's cut the apron strings from the likes of Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. We'll see how far their anti-American rhetoric gets them after their economy is robbed of American oil-dollars.

But, sadly, it's not as simple as that. Is it ever?

Corn vs. Petrol.

The problem with the type of ethanol America produces is that it's not an efficient source of fuel.

Although production of ethanol in Brazil and other southern countries seems to work very well, this is because it's based on ethanol produced through sugarcane. Sugar is a highly efficient energy source and it takes just 1 'unit' of regular energy to produce 8 'units' of ethanol energy.

Unfortunately, sugar doesn't grow very well in the United States, so we're left using corn. The problem is that corn doesn't have a very good energy balance. In fact, it takes almost one and a half units of regular energy to produce a single unit of ethanol energy.

This simply doesn't make sense. If you're using traditional sources of energy to produce corn ethanol, you end up burning more oil or coal than you produce. It's utterly unsustainable.

Secondly, corn-ethanol requires crops to produce it. A lot of crops. To replace the 140 billion gallons of imported fuel used by America every year, you'd have to plant corn over every single inch of the United States... and then some.

Not to mention that corn-ethanol produces just as much CO2 as regular petrol, meaning it's just as bad for the long-term future of the environment (contributing to global warming.)

As it is currently, it doesn't look like corn ethanol makes any sense as a replacement to imported foreign oil. But there is hope...

The future...

Cellulosic ethanol is a possible alternative source of ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol is fuel produced from lignocellulose - the 'stuff' that plants and trees are made from.

This type of fuel is made by breaking down the lignocellulose with water or gas and then fermenting the generated sugars. Basically brewing a type of rum your car can drink!

The advantage is that garbage itself (like cardboard and wood) could be used as a base to produce this fuel - and the production itself generates 80% less CO2 which will make a dramatic reduction in America's contribution to global warming.

But the best part is that it takes just 1 unit of regular energy to make 5 units of cellulosic ethanol - and it's cheap, too. Within 10 years, it's estimated that the cost of a gallon of cellulosic ethanol will be about $1.07. That's compared to regular petrol, which costs between $1.20 and $1.50 a gallon.

It's still early days for this fledgling fuel - but it's an exciting proposition. Perhaps within the next decade, we'll see the clock turn back to the golden age when the United States was self-sufficient!

With the economy in the doldrums and the news looking ever bleaker, it's quite exciting to peek at something positive on the horizon.

Roll on cellulosic ethanol. The gas-tanks of both my American guzzlers are eagerly awaiting their first taste!