Bio Ethanol Vehicles Pose A Significant Risk To Human Health, Study Finds

[0iD]

Interesting, thought this was supposed to be te 'green' alternative to Petrol...

Ethanol is widely touted as an eco-friendly, clean-burning fuel. But if every vehicle in the United States ran on fuel made primarily from ethanol instead of pure gasoline, the number of respiratory-related deaths and hospitalizations would likely increase, according to a new study by Stanford University atmospheric scientist Mark Z. Jacobson. His findings are published in the April 18 online edition of the journal Environmental Science & Technology (ES&T).
http://www.lockergnome.com/nexus/new...h-study-finds/

[dave87]

Don't stick your nose in it then

Worrying that all the alternatives to petrol are as bad or worse for us than petrol is...(except electric, but that requires heavy batteries which have acid in them - not good if you crash)

[JPreston]

...(except electric, but that requires heavy batteries which have acid in them - not good if you crash)

When I'm trapped and bleeding in the crumpled wreck of my car, I'd know what I'd rather watch as it trickles around the place....

(I'm sure the batteries in electric cars aren't the acid type anyway)

[dangel]

lithium-ion aren't they?

[JPreston]

Actually, I should know as I worked on an Electric Vehicle Project for a car manufacturer once (marketing them to councils and the like - basically anyone who would want a car that weighed 800kg extra to silently crept up behind unsuspecting pedestrians). That was 10 years ago - as you can see I did a good job as we all drive electric cars now

At the time I think they were nickel cadmium - lithium batteries were too expensive. But batteries have come on leaps and bounds since then so they may well be lithium (or some even better tech) now though.

A lot of people say 'ah but what would happen in a crash' about LPG/hydrogen/etc....forgetting that petrol and petrol vapour are ridiculously volatile too. Mind you we did have a couple of techs killed overseas when their LPG car exploded on a test drive, so maybe there's a reason why you still aren't allowed to park them in underground car parks and the like

[Noxvayl]

Are you people forgetting about how we get electricity??? Power plants are just as damaging to the ecosystem providing electricity for cars as petrol fumes are so at the moment there really isn't anything eco-friendly in terms of cars.

[SiM]

Are you people forgetting about how we get electricity??? Power plants are just as damaging to the ecosystem providing electricity for cars as petrol fumes are so at the moment there really isn't anything eco-friendly in terms of cars.

Its a lot more efficient at producing energy though. The fuel is burnt in huge amounts in power stations, which is more efficient and making energy, than the fuel we burn in individual cars.

[dave87]

SiM beat me to it, exactly what I was going to say. Add to that Nuclear that isn't available in cars for very good reasons, and you've got a source of energy much more efficient than petrol or diesel based car engines.

[Zak33]

SiM beat me to it, exactly what I was going to say. Add to that Nuclear that isn't available in cars for very good reasons, and you've got a source of energy much more efficient than petrol or diesel based car engines.

the problem then, is the need to distribute the electrcitiy,across the national grid, and then store it in batteries in the car, a car which frankly wieghs quite a lot because it's going to need a 2nd propulsion sourse for when the battery goes flat (ie a fossil fuel engine)

I dont see electricity as efficient in my own mid. I just dont.

[Funkstar]

There are some very cool technologies out there that should make electric motoring more realistic.

Instead of having a single motor replacing the engine and leaving the rest of the car as it is, engineers are looking at having each wheel independently powered. The motors are mounted in just inside the wheels. Doing it like this means you can strip out a whole load of heavy mechanics from the drive train. You also get very efficient four wheel drive and an amazing amount of torque.

You have also de-coupled the drive train from the energy source. In theory you could have batteries, an internal cobustion engine, gas turbine, fuel cell, etc. doesn't matter. So again, in theory, the car could have electric drive with a petrol engine now, then when battery technology improves the engine can be removed and batteries installed.

Non fossil fuel vehicles will at some point become the norm, but not until engineers have removed a lot of the disadvantages they still have.

[Funkstar]

And just to follow up with a couple of links.

It appears that GM has decided to produce such a vehicle. From what i understand from the two articles on Engadget, the 1.0L engine used in one model will provide enough energy for about 640miles per tank fed through the L-Ion battery pack and then onto the electric wheel motors.

Looks like there will be different options on the power generation side two, including fuel cells, but it sounds like these will be limited in number due to the price.

Details about the concept from earlier in the year:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/01/07/g...he-chevy-volt/

Chevy Volt to go into production:
http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/07/c...tion-pipeline/

Personally i think it looks great. the final one will mroe than likely loose some of it's edgyness and looking more like a Crossfire, but that isn't really a bad thing, i like it too.

[Tumble]

The answer is in getting the batteries juiced up - they aint gonna be any use until a loaded battery can get you at least as far as a tank of petrol does now. Now either they've got to increase the energy density of the batteries, make insanely efficient motors, improve road surfaces/tyre materials or find some low impact way of charging the batteries as you go.

As far as fuel cells and the like go, once people start developing them seriously, the price of the technology WILL fall - remember how much a digital watch cost in 1980? and now you can pick em up for a quid in Poundland. It's just a question of time and people developing the technology.