A number of factors are conspiring to create a situation that recently would have been unthinkable: the United States as a supplier of gasoline to world markets. According to Booz & Company, those factors are the rise of biofuels in the West, the introduction of plug-in electric and other alternative fuel vehicles, and the growth of the really cheap car, like the Tata Nano. The United States imports oil to feed its gasoline habit, but the U.S. has refining capacity that developing nations cannot match. The U.S. is also lowering its reliance on traditional gasoline due to the price, states' mandates on switching to biofuels, and the dawn of mass market alternative fuel vehicles. This adds up to the United States importing oil, and then selling it to nations like India and China to feed their larger appetites for gasoline. In the middle of all of this are the refineries, who made predictions for today's business plans two decades ago. Sure, no one is crying for them -- they need extra pages to include the zeros on their profit statements -- but they have to start figuring out who's going to need which products and how they are going to deliver them. And, by refining company standards, they need to do it quickly, which is a method of operation they aren't well versed in.
Hydrogen has been touted as a viable fuel source for decades, and seemingly every day, some new or upcoming hydrogen-powered milestone is reached or discussed. However, in nearly every case, hydrogen is being touted as a standalone fuel source. But what about using pure hydrogen mixed with gasoline to increase fuel economy and reduce emissions?
Ronn Motors, of Texas, has built a car it claims will do does just that. Called the Scorpion, the engine is a 3.5-liter, six-cylinder VTEC from Acura, equipped with two turbos and an intercooler to take it from 280 hp to 450 hp. The turbo'd six is connected to an on-demand hydrogen system that breaks down water molecules and holds them in a non-pressurized tank which doesn't necessitate the need for a hydrogen refueling station. The hydrogen is drawn through the intake manifold and between 30 and 40 percent hydrogen is mixed with the gasoline. As less gas is used, Ronn Motors says the Scorpion can do 40 mpg.
DuPont Registry just named the Scorpion a Publisher's Choice as "one of America's first premium eco-exotics." True, the Tesla might be more eco, but to our eyes the Scorpion (rendering) has got the exotic thing properly nailed. But when can you get one? According to Ronn, the car will be out this fall. And when you want to get it off the lot, the 2,100-pound Scorpion will supposedly take you to 60 in no more than 3.5 seconds. Ronn will probably even throw in a full tank of gas... and water. You'll need to provide the take-home money: $150,000.
Prince Charles is not new to the environmental debate. His blue, 38-year-old Aston Martin, however, has had nothing to do with being environmentally friendly. Until now. The car, a gift from the Queen on Charles' 21st birthday, has joined the growing fleet of cars that run on bioethanol, having been converted to run on surplus British wine.
The wine comes from an English vineyard in Wiltshire, and the EU limits how much wine a vineyard can produce, so the vineyard sells the overage to Green Fuels, which turns it into biofuels and supplies it to the Palace.
The Aston can go ten miles on a gallon of gas, which would equate to 45 bottles of wine to go the same distance. The wine, though, puts out 85-percent less CO2 and costs £1.10 per liter, which is slightly less than the cost of gas. However, Charles only goes 300 miles in the car every year, and it's not like he's worried about gas prices, so the car won't make a difference by itself -- but he's got his royal heart in the right place.
