Fuel // Current

Jaipur Oil Fire

A devastating fire engulfed 10 million liters of fuel at an Indian Oil facility in... more

WildernessFilmsIndiaLtd
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The Solution to Our Environmental Woes is to End Prohibition

The best solution to our environmental problems is to end prohibition. There is no other viable option short of the immediate end to military conflict that will have the same positive impact on the ecosystem.

Our first step towards a sustainable existence should begin with cannabis. Its assimilation into our civilization is the safest, simplest, most efficient immediate solution that we can implement in time to prevent an ecological catastrophe.

Cannabis is a plant, and its use is as old as civilization itself. It has thousands of immediate and potential applications. Its cultivation rejuvenates the soil, it can replace wood products, it’s medicinal, and it can be used as building material, textiles, paint, plastic, fuel, paper, food and body care. It is one of the most important bounties of nature. It’s a plant that we were meant to use.

So what’s the hold up? The short answer is America’s “War on Drugs”. The United States started a legislative war on this plant genus almost a century ago and they do not want to give up the fight.

The war on drugs is not a war between nations; it’s a corporate war on people, irrelevant of their nationality or ethnicity. It is a war against citizens of the United States and those of other nations. It’s a war without borders. It has gone through multiple mutations and over the last few decades grown into the monstrosity that it is today. It is a one sided war declared by nations on their citizens. A conflict not reciprocated by the citizens. It is a war that is sustained entirely do to ignorance, fear, and greed.

If there is such a thing as a just war, then the war on drugs is on the other end of the spectrum. It is the most unjust war that has ever been. It is a war exclusively waged for money. Every other war throughout history has had at least one other fathomable pretence. The war on drugs doesn’t.

The irony is that this war and the destruction that it unleashes can be brought to an end within an instant, if it was so desired. All that is required is to end prohibition, to repeal one law.

We know that the end to prohibition will have positive effects for our society because precedent for this has already been set. When prohibition of alcohol ended, so did most of the violence associated with gang warfare, as did much of the corruption in government. When prohibition ended, precious resources were made available again and a major source of revenue and employment was established through the sale of alcohol and its associated paraphernalia.

These same results have also been observed in Portugal’s experiment with drug decriminalization. The United Nations has also confirmed these findings in its annual report on the state of global drug policy, and many countries have been paying-heed and following Portugal’s example. Decriminalization is sweeping through major parts of Latin America as well as numerous municipalities and States within the United States of America.

The only reason that America’s Federal “War on Drugs” still continues to this day is because its so-called adversaries, criminal organizations and certain sectors of government, don’t want it to end since its continuation guarantees them flow of funds.

All of the above is common knowledge to anyone who has remotely researched this topic, or for that matter, even thought about it. After all, who in their right mind would ever approve of a war on nature, a war on a plant, a war on a plant that’s not even poisonous, a war on a plant that is actually beneficial for us, our society, and the ecosystem? You would have to be deranged to do such a thing. But this is exactly what we have done. We have been waging a war on a plant for almost a century. We have been waging a war on cannabis that spans the globe, costs trillions of dollars, destroys millions of lives, and consumes precious resources.

On the behest of certain corporations and a small minority that profit from prohibition, we have been CONTINUED>>>The best solution to our environmental problems is to end prohibition. There is no... more

copperdragon
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Vote for your favorite Drive Smarter Video to decide who wins the $5,000 prize!

Be a film critic, have fun and promote driving efficiency! The Alliance to Save... more

Dorothee
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New mobile phone runs on alcohol fuel cell - Techworld.com

The latest prototype cell phone based on a direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) made its... more

DreemTeem
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1 month ago
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2 comments

U.S. lawmakers vote to punish Iran's fuel suppliers

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Washington and Tehran began talks over Iran's nuclear... more

QuickJman
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1 month ago
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HYDROGEN FUEL CELL CONVERTER AND INVENTOR FRED WINN PART ONE

Device installed in car increases fuel efficiency over 30%. Memphis inventor Fred... more

memphisbealegodsey
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1 month ago
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White House Unveils New Emission Standards

Today the Obama Administration released a 1,200 page document of proposed regulation... more

mcjk
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1 month ago
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VW Concept Car Gets 240 MPG

It's "close to production" and "will be developed."

Progresshiv
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1 month ago
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New Envion Facility Turns Plastic Waste into $10/Barrel Fuel

Today Washington DC-based company Envion opened a $5 million dollar facility that they... more

Tyrannous
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1 month ago
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Natural Gas Getting Boxed Out of Climate Bill

Natural gas prices are at a 7-year low, it generates less emissions than coal, and we... more

TheodoreSouza
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2 months ago
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Dirty Power in Paradise

The Bahamian government secretly goes about installing a heavy polluting power plant... more

Loggerhead
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2 months ago
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Hemp ethanol will only cost 50 cents per gallon

I was just watching Jodie and Marc walking through the hemp field and I thought it... more

copperdragon
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2 months ago
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Is Algae The Next Miracle Fuel?

The fluorescent green mantle of biofuel savior has come to rest upon algae—slimily, sure, but for good reason. Algae grows in fresh water or salt water or sewage, rather than competing with food crops for land or resources. And algae actually sucks out the pollution from coal-fired power plants, with a theoretical yield of oil per acre that's hundreds of times greater than, say, corn.

But after all the hype—and there's been plenty of it—the fact remains that nobody has yet proven they can cheaply and reliably transform the stuff from a thick, green slurry to a finished fuel capable of making a dent in America's 870 million–gallon-per-day petroleum habit.

"I get a lot of people telling me that they've got thousands of gallons, but when I actually ask for a sample I can get maybe two," says Jennifer Holmgren, director of the UOP renewable energy and chemicals division, which is working to refine jet fuel from feedstocks that include algae.

"Google some of the numbers, and you've got people claiming that right now they're producing 35,000 gallons per acre per year, and they'll be producing 100,000 gallons—and that's just impossible," says Solix Biofuels lead scientist Bryan Wilson, a veritable grandfather with two successful years in the fledgling algae industry. "There's probably not more than a few barrels floating around right now."

Two years ago, there were less than a handful of companies chasing the next wave of so-called "pond scum" power. Today, there are dozens, many backed by big energy industry players such as Chevron and Shell. Last year, DARPA granted UOP $6.7 million to study how "second-generation" feedstocks, or nonfood crops, could turn into JP-8 jet fuel for U.S. Air Force and NATO fighters. Just this month, Airbus and JetBlue announced goals to replace 30 percent of jet fuel with second-gen biofuels by 2030. Air New Zealand and Dutch airline KLM have similar plans in the works.

All that's missing, for now, is all that oil they need to refine.

"It's frustrating for the outside world, but we've been learning how to do agriculture for about 5000 years, and we've been learning how to make oil from algae now for only a couple of years. So there's a lot of learning, and the curve is pretty steep," Wilson says. "This is probably going to be the first summer that you're getting anything more than just test tubes of oil produced."

This is algae's second coming. The first attempt, run by the U.S. government in the wake of the last oil crisis, was killed in 1996 by the Clinton administration while oil hovered around $20 per barrel. But even now, with record-high petroleum prices, algae stands in no position to compete, and hurdles remain at every stage of production.

Just choosing which kind of algae to start with is a herculean task. There are well over 100,000 species, each adapted to grow in different environments at different rates, and each capable of producing different amounts of oil—or none at all. The government collected more than 3000 different strains from all over the world in the 1980s, 300 of which were deemed promising. Today, many algal strains have been engineered into genetically modified superplants—the secret formulas of biofuel startups—but there is, as yet, no proven winner. Not to mention, there remains the small matter of how to make the algae flourish, how to cheaply dry several million gallons of subsequent slush, and how to get the oil out of minuscule cell walls and into the metaphorical barrel.

"It's not as easy as running a combine through a field of canola to get the seeds and crush them," says Michael Weaver, CEO of the Washington biofuels company Bionavitas. "For anybody who thinks that we can go from ‘Hey, let's look at algae,' to full-on fuel production in the period of the past three to five years, it's just never going to happen that way."

A number of pilot plants scheduled to come online in the next several months will likely give .....The fluorescent green mantle of biofuel savior has come to rest upon algae—slimily,... more

rav3
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3 months ago
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Irvine-based Fisker's Karma makes public driving debut

The innovative Karma Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicle from Irvine-based Fisker... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 months ago
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Does the Grade of Fuel You Use Effect the Enviroment? Or Your Vehicle?

Hopeful signs about the economy and gasoline prices comfortably below $3 may tempt you... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 months ago
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Cops Goes Green with Alternative Fuel for Cruisers

Law enforcement officers across the South now have the option of powering their cruisers with a clean alternative fuel. Force 911, a Pendergrass, GA company that provides automotive services to law enforcement fleets, announced today that it will enter a strategic partnership with Asheville, NC's Alliance AutoGas, a national network of vehicle conversion centers and propane fueling stations. Force 911's 19 facilities will serve as Certified Conversion Centers in the Alliance network.

Law enforcement officers across the South now have the option of powering their cruisers with a clean alternative fuel. Force 911, a Pendergrass, GA company that provides automotive services to law enforcement fleets, announced today that it will enter a strategic partnership with Asheville, NC's Alliance AutoGas, a national network of vehicle conversion centers and propane fueling stations. Force 911's 19 facilities will serve as Certified Conversion Centers in the Alliance network.

Founded in 2008, Alliance AutoGas converts auto fleets from gasoline to clean-burning, domestic propane vehicles. After cars and trucks are converted to propane Hybrids, Alliance provides on-site fuel stations at fleet headquarters, in this case law enforcement headquarters.

Force 911 comes to the Alliance network with a long track record serving law enforcement agencies. With 19 service and installation locations in Georgia and Alabama, the company specializes in police and public service vehicles, outfitting various law enforcement and government agencies.

The world's most widely used alternative fuel, propane is more cost effective and produces less greenhouse emissions than conventional gasoline. It's also domestically produced. "Law enforcement agencies are in the business of serving the public," said Stuart Weidie, CEO of both Alliance AutoGas and Blossman Gas, the nation's largest independent propane marketer. "We teamed with Force 911 because they have a unique understanding of the way powering law enforcement fleets with alternative fuel can help officers improve their communities. In a propane hybrid, officers can enforce the law in cruisers that are less expensive to run and better for the environment. That's great for the communities they protect and serve."

Earlier this year, Force 911 completed the installation of 30 Alliance AutoGas hybrid propane fuel systems for the Jackson County (Ga.) Sheriff's Department. The fuel conversions installed a propane Hybrid system in each vehicle, allowing them to run on either propane or conventional gasoline.

Join the Green Transportation Groups http://current.com/groups/green-transportation/Law enforcement officers across the South now have the option of powering their... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 months ago
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Microbe That Extracts Energy from Mud Gets Ready for Use in Fuel Cells

Geobacter, a microbe that generates electricity when placed in mud and wastewater, has... more

TommyTooThumbs
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3 months ago
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2010 Lexus HS250 Hybrid vs. 2010 BMW 335 Diesel 390-Mile Fuel Economy Comparison Test Drive

Not long from now, the idea of a luxury fuel-efficient vehicle will most probably become ubiquitous. As the US government slowly raises the Corporate Average Fuel Economy rating, in a 5 percent annual ramp up to 35.5 mpg by 2016), automakers will need to manufacture more fuel frugal cars and trucks. And that of course includes luxury cars. But luxury cars buyers don't want to sacrifice comfort, performance or technology to save at the pump—or to save the planet. Who says they have to? Here, we take two forward-looking, fuel-efficient vehicles—one, a hybrid; the other, a diesel—from Lexus and BMW for a 390-mile test drive.

Both BMW and Lexus have launched new cars this year that offer two very different approaches to delivering luxury and fuel economy. BMW has brought its potent 335d to the states, packing a mammoth 425 lb.-ft. of torque. The BMW is rated to return 23-mpg city and 36 mpg on the highway. Lexus has built its first dedicated hybrid, the HS250h—a car that offers only modest accelerative performance by comparison, but delivers 35-mpg city and 34 on the highway in a much less expensive package, with about the same level of tech as the BMW. Let's see how they stack up in a fuel economy face-off.

The Specs
The HS250h may be a new Lexus hybrid, but it shares a powertrain with the Toyota Camry hybrid. The Atkinson-cycle 2.4-liter four-cylinder is linked to a 40 hp electric motor and CVT transmission. The hybrid system generates 187 total system horsepower and Lexus says that's good enough for a 0-60 mph time of 8.4 seconds. Like most hybrids, the Lexus has an Eco mode and a pure EV mode that allows the car to be driven under electric power for short distances. The BMW 335d in comparison uses a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline six-cylinder with 265 hp and 425 lb.-ft. of torque that peaks way down at 1750 rpm. It's paired to a six-speed automatic and will produce 0-60 mph sprints in less than 6 seconds.

The BMW 3 series is perhaps the sports sedan benchmark. And our $50,895 335d test car was equipped with the $2,150 Sport Package that includes 18-inch summer tires and an even more aggressive suspension than the standard car. The rear-drive chassis is tuned to balance handling with a supple ride with MacPherson struts upfront and a multilink design in the rear. Lexus's HS250h is based on a front-wheel drive chassis that shares components with the European Toyota Avensis sedan. Our 3740 pound Lexus came with the $1600 Tuning Package that includes sportier 18-inch tires and a firmer suspension as well as the $2125 Navigation Package bringing the sticker up to $38,800—or $12,095 less than the BMW.

Inside, the 3835-pound BMW was trimmed with beige leather and dark burl walnut wood. And our test car had plenty of technology, including adaptive light control, dynamic cruise control, an iPod adapter and satellite radio. But strangely—for a $50,000 car—the 335d did not have a navigation system. Our Lexus wore a darker leather two-tone interior (part of the sport package) and absolutely no wood. But it did have heated seats and Lexus' wonderfully easy-to-use Remote Touch haptic controller behind its intuitively brilliant navigation system.

FOLLOW THE LINK FOR MORE INFORMATION

For more like this join the green transportation group at http://current.com/groups/green-transportation/Not long from now, the idea of a luxury fuel-efficient vehicle will most probably... more