Question for Europeans

The average German car gets around forty miles per US gallon, from what
I've read. I'd imagine British cars are similar, though they have a lower
rate of penetration of diesels, they do have some newer fuel efficient
gasoline engine technology, for instance, FSI, direct injection gasoline,
etc. More of the cars also have turbochargers; turbos in US cars are pretty
much nonexistant except perhaps as sports car modifications.

One big plus for European cars is the manual transmission is truely
standard (though newer, high efficiency semi-automatic and automatic
transmissions are becomming more common) and few cars have air conditioning.
That alone probably results in a fuel economy increase of about 10 percent.

A big downside for the US is about a quarter of our car market follows
California Air Resource Board rules regarding emissions. Contrary to
popular perception, a fuel efficient car is not necessarily "low emissions".
Lean-burn gasoline and diesel engines produce more nitrogen oxides, and
diesels produce more particulates (soot), at least when the vehicles are new
(old gasoline engines can actually be worse than lean burning engines). And
CARB rules are tightening up in the next few years, they will only allow
about 0.01 grams per mile of particulate matter in the exhaust, and nitrogen
oxide rules are similarly restrictive. That means automakers cannot sell
advanced engines in a good chunk of the car market, which is a disincentive
to import them or build them here.

The problem with ethanol is twofold: ethanol is corrosive and requires
nickel plating of the fuel injection system to run high ethanol blends (as
well a computer and sensor to detect ethanol levels and adjust spark
timing). And corn alcohol distillation is not a very efficient way to make
it. Bio-engineered e-coli bacteria eating cellulose would be much more
efficient, but then you run into environmentalists oppossing
bio-engineering.

I'm interested in biodiesel (and diesel in general), and it has similar
problems. Currently, soy oil is the big psuh for biodiesel, but soy oil
was mostly a waste product- now the price has shot up because China started
demanding raw soybeans. Jatropha, avocado, or palm have much, much higher
yields of oil per acre than soybeans. And again, it's even possible to
bio-engineer algae that would grow in sewage waste and produce oil.
Currently the big problem for biodiesel is getting it up to standards-
engine manufacturers are not going to warranty some small time operation
that makes a fuel from waste grease, using poor methods, that results in
poorly reacted biodiesel that is contaminated with free fatty acids, water,
glycerin, or catalysts. That stuff will kill diesel fuel injection systems.
So that's why you are seeing most diesel engine mfg's and auto companies
only warranting 5 percent biodiesel blends. Now, a good continuous batch or
two-stage reaction process (or even one stage- as long as the oil is
reasonable) can produce good fuel ,but standards have to be met.

Thermal depolymerization (which produces a fuel similar to petroleum
diesel) is another technology that could be exploited, but currently there's
only one plant in the US. The owner wanted to get waste turkey/chicken guts
for free from poultry companies, but he was banking on the practice of
feeding poultry to other animals being outlawed due to BSE (thus making
poultry waste worthless). That didn't happen, and he has to buy the poultry
guts, cutting into his profits. Of course, you could also turn computers,
plastic trash bags, sewage, etc., into fuel, but you get into the NIMBY
stuff- basicly nobody wants it in their backyard.

In article >,
says...
> To understand the present and the future you need to understand what
> happened in the past and why.
>
>

He who controls the present controls the past.
He who controls the past controls the future.
"Blair".
--
"Sorry Sir, the meatballs are Orf"
The poster formerly known as Skodapilot.
http://www.bouncing-czechs.com

"Magnulus" > wrote in message
. ..
> Alot of small cars would not be sold in the US because they would get
> very poor scores in crash tests, based on the way our tests are performed.
> Government crash test ratings can be a deal breaker for many people looking
> at cars and trucks now days. A few years ago, it wasn't such a big issue.
> I think the dispelling the notion that SUV's weren't necessarily "safe" has
> heightened awareness.

In NCAP tests the 2002 Audi A2, 2004 Honda Jazz, 2000 Toyota Yaris & 1999 VW
Lupo all score better than the 2002 Jeep Cherokee and the 2000 Ford KA on par
with it.

NCAP test:
A. 40% overlap on the drivers side frontal impact at 40mph.
B. 1500mm wide simulated drivers side (T bone) impact cantered on the drivers
door at 30mph.
C. 25mph pedestrian strike (child and adult) looking at the safety of the
pedestrian as well as car occupants. (given a separate rating to the main NCAP
score)
D, 18mph side impact with a 254mm pole

Using Hybrid 3 (frontal) and EuroSID (Side) 2 two of the most advanced crash
test dummies in use. (I believe the USA uses Hybrid 3)

"Magnulus" > wrote in message
.. .
> The problem with ethanol is twofold: ethanol is corrosive and requires
> nickel plating of the fuel injection system to run high ethanol blends (as
> well a computer and sensor to detect ethanol levels and adjust spark
> timing). And corn alcohol distillation is not a very efficient way to
> make
> it. Bio-engineered e-coli bacteria eating cellulose would be much more
> efficient, but then you run into environmentalists oppossing
> bio-engineering.
>

I have no knowledge of biodiesel, does sound cool. However regarding the
corrosive issue, new ethanol blends are blended with anti-corrosive
chemicals that will help.

Brimstone > wrote on Tue, 10 May 2005 23:03:18 GMT:
> Depresion wrote:
>> "Brimstone" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>>
>>> My comment referred to the fact that commuting has been made easier.
>>
>> By deteriorating roads?
>>
>>> On the contrary UK roads are mostly very well maintained.
>>
>> Bar the 3/4 that aren't.
>
> Provide examples including photos. Alternatively stop talking crap.

There was a relatively well publicised report on the state of Britain's
roads (or perhaps Scotland's roads?). My council came out worst in
Scotland. I could, if you wish supply pictures of a road with a
large pothole, with a collection of wheel trims around it.

Or, alternatively, the yellow marks that have been drawn on my
street marking what work needs done. The work hasn't been done,
and the marks have almost faded. They have, finally, started
doing some work just the other week.

The fact that the A80, M9, M8, A9, M90..... all have roadworks on them
(in several places, in most cases) is a sign that there has not been
enough maintenance done recently, though they are trying to catch up.
That's just trunk roads.

--
David Taylor

"Mark Hewitt" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Dan J.S." > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> bigger left lies. The problem is, as always with the liberals and
>> leftists,
>
> You would do better by not attempting to use labels. You make yourself
> sound like a crazed lunatic.
>
>
>

Yes, I guess you are correct.

Brimstone > wrote on Tue, 10 May 2005 15:58:21 GMT:
> David Taylor wrote:
>> Brimstone > wrote on Tue, 10 May 2005 14:20:21
>> GMT:
>>> Depresion wrote:
>>>> 3/4 or UK's local roads are deteriorating year on year. We are ?8.3
>>>> billon behind in road maintenance. By last year the plan was to have
>>>> halted the deterioration but it hasn't happened and by 2010 we were
>>>> to have caught up and removed the backlog unfortunately the first
>>>> part was no where near achieved as about 50% of the money allocated
>>>> for maintenance is being spent elsewhere on things like speed
>>>> cushions, bus lanes, and what's laughably called our education
>>>> system by local authorities. It's about time that money allocated
>>>> by the national government for road maintenance is reserved only
>>>> for use in actually maintaining roads.
>>>
>>> I wasn't talking about maintenance,
>>
>> So? He wasn't talking about improvements to the road system, but that
>> didn't stop you.
>
> My comment referred to the fact that commuting has been made easier.

Don't you think that roads in poor condition would make
commuting harder? There's no point building a network of
roads in every conceivable direction if they are badly maintained.

>> So you actually have no argument against the fact that British roads
>> are horrible unmaintained?
>
> On the contrary UK roads are mostly very well maintained. As with any
> subject there are always the odd exceptions. Perhaps you can cite some
> examples of what you consider to be "horrible unmaintained" roads?

Horribly unmaintained roads are all around. There was a study of
the condition of roads released not so long ago. It did not
praise the road network quite as much as you are...

--
David Taylor

"Dan J.S." > wrote in message
...
> I have no knowledge of biodiesel, does sound cool.

Yes, it works very well and is more widely available than ethanol. It's
still not widely available enough for ordinary consumers, though. Alot of
backyard hobbyists and co-ops are into biodiesel, but if you have a newer
diesel engine you really need very good fuel that requires an experienced
"homebrewer" with a good process (and hopefully ATSM certified testing to
back it up), or a commercial facility. Some of the old diesels with the
indirect injection and lower pressure fuel pumps will run on just about
anything (motor oil, ATF, unrefined vegetable oil, etc.), but newer diesels
(after 1990 or so) are not as forgiving, they have higher pressure injection
systems, electronic fuel temp sensors (that can be easily corroded), etc.

>However regarding the
> corrosive issue, new ethanol blends are blended with anti-corrosive
> chemicals that will help.

Yeah, that could work- I had not thought of that. Mostly because most oil
companies now days like to go very cheap on additives.

"David Taylor" > wrote in message
...
>> The fact that the A80, M9, M8, A9, M90..... all have roadworks on them
> (in several places, in most cases) is a sign that there has not been
> enough maintenance done recently, though they are trying to catch up.
> That's just trunk roads.

The M74 looked like it was falling to bits.