Electric cars a huge failure...

[OuTpaTienT]

Ford abandons electric vehicles

[Epidemic]

Bio Fuels and Bio hybrid!

That is the way to go.

Fuel cells are ok but still fossil fuel based when you consider the
recharge comes from fossil fuel based power plants.

Recharge comes from nuclear power.

Otherwise I agree with Epidemic.

Bio-Fuels - like wood. Renewable energy resouces.

Epidemic: Can cars run on wood, though?

[Theophylact]

A lot of cars ran on wood in Europe during the 2nd World War. Basically, they had charcoal converters to provide gas. C + H2O--> H2 + CO. You can burn the mixed gas in an internal combustion engine, but it's really faute de mieux.

[Epidemic]

The stanley steamer was a fine example of that.

Fast Clean But you ran the risk of an occasional boiler explosion. Good luck in a wreck. I believe they were oil fired but could be converted to wood just fine.

Imagine a hickory fired steamer. Now that is a nice polution problem. MMMMMMMM.

[Epidemic]

but it's really faute de mieux.

Sorry I missed that one. Define please.

Shahani,

Nuclear is not exactly with out environmental impact. It also only makes like 5% of the us power I think.

[Theophylact]

Faute de mieux: "For lack of anything better."

Nah, much more than 5%. Closer to like 45% I think.

Epidemic, maybe you can fry bacon on the hickory fire and cook it smoke flavored while driving for breakfast at 6am. Beats McDonalds.

Just a thought. Don't get all bent up or anything.

{PS- Now you can't say I never agree with you.}

Theo, those were not burning wood as Epidemic says- they heated wood in absence of air to generate carbon monoxide (as your equation says) and CO was burnt in teh engine.

Not really in the spirit of burning wood though. Epidemic prolly meant actually like burning wood with flames and all. Hickory smell.

[daveleau]

I understand why they don't (the economic ramifications to our oil industry), but I wish they would go with alcohol driven cars. Very clean, very efficient. Yes, alcohol gives off a clear flame, which is dangerous, but alcohol is hardly more flammable than gasoline. If they could add a chemical to make it burn a specific color (like they give natural gas an unnatural, unmistakable odor), it could be one of the more perfect solutions for our dependency on oil.