Unfortunately, according to vehicle engineer David Friedman, kicking our oil addiction isn't as simple as just putting some vegetable oil into the fuel tank of a modified car.
But we need to get working now on the real possibilities.
An article by David Friedman on TomPaine.com discusses the problem and suggests ways to stretch the remaining oil on this planet in the meantime.
An excerpt:
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As an engineer who designs efficient vehicles, I'm frequently asked why we can't just recycle cooking oil and put it in our gas tanks. Wouldn't that help reduce our dependence on foreign oil and save us money?
Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets to replace petroleum. Cooking oil, for example, is a limited resource and is only feasible for owners of modified diesel vehicles that produce more smog and toxic pollution than gasoline. That leaves most of us stuck at filling stations, where gas is expensive, polluting and, most likely, imported.
Indeed, every five minutes, the United States spends more than $2 million on imports of oil and other petroleum products. As long as this country relies on oil, we will be susceptible to instability in the Persian Gulf and other regions of the world. Rising oil consumption in China and other developing nations will only make matters worse by stretching supply lines even thinner. In the meantime, our nation will continue to emit more global warming pollution than any other country in the world, with dangerous consequences for our economy, natural heritage and citizens.
No reasonable person would deny that we need a fuel that is "Made in the USA," clean and plentiful. But innovation is required to achieve the breakthroughs that will make such a fuel affordable and widely available. The answer could be fuel cell vehicles powered by hydrogen made from the sun, wind or biomass. It could be hybrids running on ethanol made from grass, rice, straw, corn stalks and other woody products grown in the United States. It could also be battery-electric vehicles that evolve from hybrids that allow drivers to plug in and recharge with renewable electricity. Because all of these alternatives have promise, each one needs federal support to determine which truly offers the best path.
Accelerating innovation will not be a small or inexpensive task, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. To be successful, each alternative to oil will need a clear and reasonable timetable along with milestones to help determine whether it is showing sufficient promise over the next decade or two. And government incentives must recognize the fact that hydrogen, electricity and even biofuels are not inherently clean—they are merely energy carriers that are only as clean as the process that produced them.
That is the promise of alternative fuels. But in the meantime, we will be dependent on oil as a transportation fuel for decades to come. What should be done now?
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