Events Calendar
In This Section
High-tech company expands downtown
Folgers coffee perks up Smucker earnings
Region's stocking full of ideas for those on the prowl for holiday gifts
Ohio sues credit-rating companies
Study tracks newspaper, online readership
Michelin chief says revenue won't increase
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Retired firefighter who broke color barrier among those being honored
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Two blowouts, one night
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Singletary update
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Bowling season starts today
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
Published on Monday, Oct 19, 2009
BIOFUELS
• Now: Biofuels include everything from bio-diesel, a fuel popular in Europe that's made from fats and oils extracted from biological materials, to ethanol, a clear, odorless alcohol made from distilling sugars and starches from crops.
A high-blend ethanol fuel — E85, for use in what are called flex-fuel vehicles — is available at 2,000 gas stations nationwide. About 3 percent of all cars and trucks on the road were flex-fuel vehicles in 2007.
• Price comparison: Average for E85 fuel, $2.08 a gallon versus $2.47 a gallon for gas.
• Potential: While renewable fuels might never completely displace the need for gasoline, policymakers think they can make a big dent in the country's demand for fossil fuels. It's cleaner burning, renewable and in some cases cheaper to refine than gasoline.
Congress has mandated that by 2022, 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended into gasoline. A second-generation of ethanol is also on the horizon—cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol has several advantages over its predecessor, namely that it uses materials not central to the nation's food supply, such as wood chips and switch grass.
• Pitfalls: Most domestically produced ethanol is made from corn, stoking concerns that its use as fuel could chip away at feedstock supplies and increase food prices. Ethanol also is expensive to distribute, must be transported separately from gasoline and lacks a cohesive infrastructure. Today, only a sliver of the gas stations nationwide sell E85, a blend that isn't as efficient as gasoline. Cellulosic ethanol could solve some of these problems, but the technology to make it practical and inexpensive is several years away.
ELECTRIC-BATTERY POWER
• Now: Last year, there were about 1.3 million gasoline-electric hybrids on the road. Next year, the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will come to market. While still using gas, they also allow drivers to charge vehicles from household outlets. All-electric vehicles, which draw power strictly from an outlet, also are under development.
• Estimated fuel cost: The equivalent of 70 to 80 cents a gallon.
• Potential: The technology is maturing quickly with automakers working on vehicles that can travel longer distances on a single electric charge. The federal government has sunk $2 billion this year into advanced battery research. Unlike biofuels, an infrastructure is largely in place for distributing electricity, with most drivers able to charge their vehicles at home.
• Pitfalls: Batteries are expensive and buyers will pay a premium to purchase electric-power vehicles. It takes energy to make electricity, and today's energy supply is still largely dependent on carbon-emitting sources, such as coal plants.
HYDROGEN FUEL
• Now: Analysts say it could be years before consumers start seeing hydrogen-powered vehicles in dealer showrooms. Their presence on the road is largely relegated to test fleets, such as those built by GM and Ford.
• Estimated fuel cost: $3 to $4 to make a gallon-equivalent of hydrogen.
• Potential: Enormous. It emits no carbon, only water vapor and some hydrogen, is abundant in nature and can be produced in the United States. The experience of using hydrogen fuel is similar to gasoline. Drivers could pull up to a hydrogen station, fill up in five to 10 minutes and travel about the same range. Hydrogen-powered engines are much more efficient than gasoline engines.
• Pitfalls: Cost is a big impediment. The technology is in its infancy and fuel cells — central to turning hydrogen into electricity for powering the motor — are too expensive to produce to make them commercially viable. Building an infrastructure to transport and store hydrogen fuel will require enormous capital and could take years. Hydrogen requires highly pressurized tanks, much larger than those now found in gas stations.
BIOFUELS
• Now: Biofuels include everything from bio-diesel, a fuel popular in Europe that's made from fats and oils extracted from biological materials, to ethanol, a clear, odorless alcohol made from distilling sugars and starches from crops.
A high-blend ethanol fuel — E85, for use in what are called flex-fuel vehicles — is available at 2,000 gas stations nationwide. About 3 percent of all cars and trucks on the road were flex-fuel vehicles in 2007.
• Price comparison: Average for E85 fuel, $2.08 a gallon versus $2.47 a gallon for gas.
• Potential: While renewable fuels might never completely displace the need for gasoline, policymakers think they can make a big dent in the country's demand for fossil fuels. It's cleaner burning, renewable and in some cases cheaper to refine than gasoline.
Congress has mandated that by 2022, 36 billion gallons of renewable fuel be blended into gasoline. A second-generation of ethanol is also on the horizon—cellulosic ethanol. Cellulosic ethanol has several advantages over its predecessor, namely that it uses materials not central to the nation's food supply, such as wood chips and switch grass.
• Pitfalls: Most domestically produced ethanol is made from corn, stoking concerns that its use as fuel could chip away at feedstock supplies and increase food prices. Ethanol also is expensive to distribute, must be transported separately from gasoline and lacks a cohesive infrastructure. Today, only a sliver of the gas stations nationwide sell E85, a blend that isn't as efficient as gasoline. Cellulosic ethanol could solve some of these problems, but the technology to make it practical and inexpensive is several years away.
ELECTRIC-BATTERY POWER
• Now: Last year, there were about 1.3 million gasoline-electric hybrids on the road. Next year, the first plug-in hybrid electric vehicles will come to market. While still using gas, they also allow drivers to charge vehicles from household outlets. All-electric vehicles, which draw power strictly from an outlet, also are under development.
• Estimated fuel cost: The equivalent of 70 to 80 cents a gallon.
• Potential: The technology is maturing quickly with automakers working on vehicles that can travel longer distances on a single electric charge. The federal government has sunk $2 billion this year into advanced battery research. Unlike biofuels, an infrastructure is largely in place for distributing electricity, with most drivers able to charge their vehicles at home.
• Pitfalls: Batteries are expensive and buyers will pay a premium to purchase electric-power vehicles. It takes energy to make electricity, and today's energy supply is still largely dependent on carbon-emitting sources, such as coal plants.
HYDROGEN FUEL
• Now: Analysts say it could be years before consumers start seeing hydrogen-powered vehicles in dealer showrooms. Their presence on the road is largely relegated to test fleets, such as those built by GM and Ford.
• Estimated fuel cost: $3 to $4 to make a gallon-equivalent of hydrogen.
• Potential: Enormous. It emits no carbon, only water vapor and some hydrogen, is abundant in nature and can be produced in the United States. The experience of using hydrogen fuel is similar to gasoline. Drivers could pull up to a hydrogen station, fill up in five to 10 minutes and travel about the same range. Hydrogen-powered engines are much more efficient than gasoline engines.
• Pitfalls: Cost is a big impediment. The technology is in its infancy and fuel cells — central to turning hydrogen into electricity for powering the motor — are too expensive to produce to make them commercially viable. Building an infrastructure to transport and store hydrogen fuel will require enormous capital and could take years. Hydrogen requires highly pressurized tanks, much larger than those now found in gas stations.
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