Diesel Hopes and Ethanol Dreams

One of the oldest options for better fuel economy is the basic diesel engine. Starting in large commercial vehicles, over the past 15 years, diesel technology has made leaps and bounds towards making diesels useable for the average person. VW has been one of the leaders in diesel technology in the US with cars ranging from the most basic Golf with a 1.9L I-4 diesel to the luxurious Touareg SUV available with a 5.0L diesel engine with a stump shreding 553 lb-ft of torque. Also, over the past decade or too, the rise in demand for diesel engines (especially in Europe where now almost 50% of cars sold have a diesel engine) have advanced the technology far beyond it's stereotypical black smoke and loud clatter. In fact, most new diesel cars are all but indistinguishable from their gasoline-powered counterparts. Many see diesels as superior to a gas-powered car because of their rocket-like acceleration off the line and greatly improved gas mileage. Unfortunately in the short term, those looking for a diesel will be out of luck. The US government instated new laws for diesel engines, which started June 1, 2006. None of the current diesel cars met the new standards and none will until the 2008 model year at least. So, if you are willing to wait, or could buy one used, diesels have proven technology that delivers solid 10 mpg or more gains over their gas counterparts. On the downside, you still will be using fossil fuels. But, all is not lost for those tree huggers.
Enter the world of ethanol. Ethanol is a type of alcohol refined from your average stalk of corn. There are so many advantages to ethanol that it seems only a matter of time until it become commonplace at fuel stations near you. First of all, ethanol is renewable energy. Farmers are currently being paid not to grow crops because our country grows such a massive excess. That excess could now be put to good use. There are farmers around the country who are becoming very intrigued with this idea and many have even considered building their own ethanol plant. Currently there are only 101 plants in the US but that number is rising. Besides its renewability, ethanol would also provide more power for the car. While a gallon of ethanol would not produce as must energy as a gallon of gasoline, the outright power produced is actually greater with an octane of around 115 to 120 versus gasoline's common octane rating of only 87. Finally, compared to hydrogen or other alternative fuel vehicles, automakers have already done an extensive amount of research into how to produce ethanol-engined vehicles as evidenced by the millions of Flex-Fuel vehicles currently on the road. Flex-Fuel is a type of engine that can run on straight gasoline, E85 ethanol (85% ethanol, 15% gas) or any mixture in between. The problem with their efforts is that among the tens of thousands of filling stations across the country, only approximately 200 pump E85. Also, although ethanol is a renewable resource, it would only be possible to replace 10% of gasoline for ethanol . Even that number would put an immense strain on the US economy and would shoot cor prices through the roof (Car & Driver). The numbers just don't add up. But, that doesn't mean ethanol couldn't be useful. Anything that could seamlessly help reduce our dependency on oil would be well recieved by the public and could be a viable short term option to fuel our lifes.