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0 pointsMaursault3y ago0 comments

> Having said all that, moving to EVs will reduce the use of corn ethanol anyway.

Ethanol for fuel was stillborn in the US by using corn to create ethanol, which is too inefficient and competes with food. What ever happened to the 20:1 ratio of using switchgrass, which no one eats? And why mix ethanol with gas, anyway? We could just use pure ethanol, which is more performant than gas at the cost of a 1/3 of a tank less milage, which is a fair trade.

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8 comments · 3 top-level

tengbretson3y ago· 2 in thread

In my opinion this isn't the best lens to view ethanol through. If you start from the position that the government manipulating the food market to ensure a near-constant over-supply is beneficial for long-term food security, then the ability to funnel excess production back to a useful energy source at a rate even close to 1:1 is fine.

MaursaultOP3y ago

> If you start from the position that the government manipulating the food market to ensure a near-constant over-supply is beneficial for long-term food security

I don't agree with the premise. Oversupply causes waste, not food security.

gruez3y ago

It crates slack, which potentially can be used in the event of some sort of food emergency.

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dieselgate3y ago· 2 in thread

We could also use biodiesel produced with ethanol which is more performant than gas and allows maybe 35-50% (or more?) more mileage

Edit: mileage

MaursaultOP3y ago

The average distance driven is only 40 miles a day. What is the concern about having a vehicle capacity of 235 miles as opposed to 400? If greater distance capacity is needed, biodiesel alone is an valid option. Mixing fuels just seems silly to me.

dieselgate3y ago

How do you mean mixing fuels being silly? I’m no expert but it seems quite common - hybrid vehicles for example; biodiesel with petrol diesel (and other things like motor oil); and not sure about gasoline but it seems to commonly be mixed with other things like ethanol.

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ZeroGravitas3y ago· 1 in thread

I think we will slowly increase the ethanol content of gasoline as we transition to EVs, but still come out ahead, particularly in nations that make their ethanol in slightly greener ways than the US.

MaursaultOP3y ago

I think it'd be better to cut off petroleum at the knees and just exclusively use biodiesel and pure ethanol, but made from a more efficient source than corn.

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