Behold The Power!

[Strangeglow]

Biodiesel is good stuff. I'm waiting for someone to combine it with hybrid technology. The diesel engine would combine with the big electric motor.

It's kind of a back to the future thing. The first demonstrations of the diesel engine used peanut oil.

 

[drgroovenstein]

Save the planet, or something!

 

[tkarter]

Great great great grandpa didn't need no stinking gasoline.

tk

 

[shamus63]

Shamus,

They can convert those 18-wheelers to run off of used french fry oil. There's a guy here in Pittsburgh with an SUV that he modified to do the same thing. The exhaust smells like whatever was cooked in the oil, but he gets the oil for free from restaurants. They are only too happy to unload their old fryer oil somewhere.

Bovine is right, though. Fossil fuels are a dead end. If only the innovations in alternative energy were not suppressed by big money. I can't honestly believe that we can't come up with a viable, renewable, clean power source in 2006.

Combustion is so 20th century.

I just had a funny image of myself dragging my rig and basses to a gig...by horse-and-buggy.

 

[mbgreene]

I just had a funny image of myself dragging my rig and basses to a gig...by horse-and-buggy.

Then you could be Horse Trader James

Anyone interested in Palomino with very little saddle wear straight up for an Irish Draught or Clydesdale - I'm thinking about getting more hauling power in my bottom end.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

<----still chuckling at the "leaky pipe" comment.

 

[shamus63]

Then you could be Horse Trader James

Anyone interested in Palomino with very little saddle wear straight up for an Irish Draught or Clydesdale - I'm thinking about getting more hauling power in my bottom end.

Ahh yeah!

 

[SharonG]

I just had a funny image of myself dragging my rig and basses to a gig...by horse-and-buggy.

I just read in Rolling Stone about a band that got a smaller truck to tour in and they ride bikes (bicycles!!) between towns on their tour to save gas and $$$. Picture towing your rig on a bike-cart!!

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

 

[Psychicpet]

I always knew I had gas....

How can we keep being held hostage by the oil companies who use any natural/political disaster to set record profits. I am a flag waving USA capitialist but the profits BP, Exxon Mobil have been raking in are obscene.

absolutely!
especially the great reports when inside of 2 sentences on CNN they can say how "BP"[or whoever, Exxon,the Vatican..er...I mean...] reported record profits, and then turn around say that the price of crude has to go up another $2 a barrel!!!!

 

[Psychicpet]

<----still chuckling at the "leaky pipe" comment.

me too but no one else?? we're all too wrapped up with toppling Shell/BP/Exxon/the Holy See and whoever else to get cheaper gas

 

[shamus63]

I just read in Rolling Stone about a band that got a smaller truck to tour in and they ride bikes (bicycles!!) between towns on their tour to save gas and $$$. Picture towing your rig on a bike-cart!!

Great...do a gig in one town...get back up at 5:30 to pedal your ass over to the next venue to make sound check by 1:00...then pedal your ass back to the nearest commune (we're saving money, right?) to catch a few minutes sleep...then pedal your ass back to the gig...

...and arrive in style!

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

me too but no one else??

They're ignoring us me thinks but hey, I saw the humor in that reply and am pissed I didn't come up with it first.

 

[Oldtoe]

I'm starting to regret recently selling my '95 BMW R1100GS in the name of new-daddyhood.

Time for a used Civic, etc., methinks.

 

[Beth]

How can we keep being held hostage by the oil companies who use any natural/political disaster to set record profits.

Easy -- change the paradigm of big cars having to have big, gasoline-powered engines. It's not like the technology ISN'T there. The auto industry needs a "Bongo". Something big and powerful with a new twist - alternative energy/fuel.

I want to convert the Saab to run on french fry oil. Something about people smelling greasy food while driving behind me gives me warm fuzzies....

 

[Beth]

Shamus,

They can convert those 18-wheelers to run off of used french fry oil. There's a guy here in Pittsburgh with an SUV that he modified to do the same thing. The exhaust smells like whatever was cooked in the oil, but he gets the oil for free from restaurants. They are only too happy to unload their old fryer oil somewhere.

Bovine is right, though. Fossil fuels are a dead end. If only the innovations in alternative energy were not suppressed by big money. I can't honestly believe that we can't come up with a viable, renewable, clean power source in 2006.

Combustion is so 20th century.

SteveB,

Looks like we're on the same page. I read your post just after I wrote mine and you also bring up a good point.... what would we do to the used french fry oil industry if the demand all of the sudden shot up? You'd be seeing teenage McDonald's employees getting payoffs, shareholder meetings at In-N-Out, and general fast food by-product corruption.

 

[Steve Dude Barr]

Dang Beth what a great idea...there's as many McDonalds around as Chevrons too so the retail supply network is already in place.

 

[Lazybite]

TIN FOIL HAT ALERT - there are always stories of people around the world coming up with new and improved ways of fueling cars utilising peanut oil, water (??), blah blah blah... only to have the us government buy up the blueprints and lock them away. Whether it is true or not I can't say..

What is the expected time frame for peak oil...2012? man the world is in trouble, oil, war, faltering economies... At least we all have our basses!!

 

[mrpackerguy]

I never thought I'd say this, but maybe the oil companies ought to have their try at government regulation like many other public sectors have had to wrestle with. After all, aren't they damn near monopolies now that Exxon married Mobil and BP married Amoco? If the 'story' about poorly maintained pipleines is even true, you think regular government inspections would have allowed such a thing? Record oil company profits reek of gouging. I'll do whatever I can within my means to not line their pockets. But it's not easy.

Hybrids are a nice start, but not necessarily the answer as it takes so long to recoup the investment, hoping the vehicle lasts that long.

I'm seriously thinking of getting a little motorscooter for trips around our relatively small town to the grocery, the drugstore, the hardware store, etc. Course hoofin it works, too if I can get motivated again.

 

[Strangeglow]

The first problem is that the oil companies are multinational comglomerates. The US has little control over them. Put an excessive tax on and they'll just make less until we cry.

Biodiesel does work and it's proven to work. The fuel can come from new vegetable oils or recycled cooking oil. The big catch many places is buying it. Many of the gas stations are owned by the oil companies directly.

There's a big movement in Louisiana to convert sugar cane to ethanol. The problem there is that it's expensive and most cars underperform depending on the mix.

As far as hybrids taking a long time to recover the investment, it really depends on what your expectations are. It's true that the hybrid version of a car is more expensive than the standard gas version. I looked at it as a contribution to reduce my personal emissions. The fact that it's partially offset by fuel savings is nice. Of course, if gas prices keep going up, it pays off faster.