Everything old is new again... 
Like electric cars. Think that they are a new idea? Think again. In 1907, the Anderson Electric Car Company (later Detroit Electric) began building electric cars. The range was over 80 miles... in 1907. Of course, speeds were low (20mph) but not out of line with contemporaries. And they peaked in the 1910s... during the high gas prices of WWI.
But of course, electric isn't the only "Green" automotive tech. There are also bio-fuels. And for those that aren't up on their green tech, bio-fuels are those that come from plants rather than dead dinosaurs.
The most popular bio-fuel is ethanol. And it is actually less popular now than it has been in the past. In fact, at the dawn of the automotive age, one of the first bright lights to shine over the horizon was actually a flex-fuel capable Model T. In fact, farmers used to use their own corn to make ethanol for their Ts.
Later, the rubber used for fuel lines had trouble holding up to Ethanol. It is only in the last few years that auto makers have begun using fuel lines and other components that would stand up to the alcohol.
The other bio-fuel is bio-diesel. The cool thing about diesel is that Rudolph Diesel actually designed the engine to run on peanut oil. And there are a LOT of advantages to bio-diesel over ethanol. The biggest being the energy yield vs. energy input. Some studies are saying that it actually takes more energy to make ethanol than it puts out.
But no so with bio-diesel. Especially since it can even be made from used cooking oil...
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I'd love to hear from you...
I don't care what they fill me up with. As long as it gets me where I'm going.
I know other solutions are out there. I even remember hearing about an engine that would run on water. Not sure if that is true or not. Not my thing. I just like driving.......
That's why I like Jay Leno's garage. He has a great collection of alternative fuel vehicles. As always Lane a very informative post...
Lane,
Isn't that fascinating? Where wold we be today, if not for cheap and easy petroleum products at the beginning of last century.
But not only these things. When I was a kid, I was dreaming of the times when I could drink lemonade instead of water. Now, when I can drink soda all day long, I got back to water. We were eager to replace natural with artificial, now we are trying to go back.
Thanks for reminding
Personally, I'm looking forward to the Hydrogen cars... No pollution. The single most abundent element on the planet. Yeeha...
Honda actually has hydrogen cars on the road in Southern California...
Ethanol is a fad... Takes too much grain to ever be mass produced... We need the farmland for food, not gas.
The Hybrids are a fad too.... The toxic wast from the batteries is worse than the emissions from the gas saved... Nice idea, but not practical with today's batteries.
Using less resources (living a greener lifestyle) by living closer to work, saving energy, fuel efficient cars until the hydrogen cars are widely available, the modern energy saving light bulbs, etc... Simply paying attention and making practical green decisions will make huge differences!!
The bio-diesel is good stuff as you described... I think it will always have a place. Maybe in cars, maybe in other applications, but it is good stuff.
I didn't know about the old electric cars... Thats great stuff!!
Thanks for the post... A lot of good stuff in here!
Lane, good post, I wonder what the electric automobiles capacity could have been if the car manufacturers would have continued working on it instead of abandoning them? Interesting post as usual! Also great banner photo! Where was it taken? It looks like it is nearby to us!
Lane,
With all of these, why haven't we come up with a workable plan. I agree with Tony & Darcy, it looks like we have abandoned some good alternative plans.
Lane - I believe if we had taken this by the horns and seriously made a run at alternative fuels, it wouldn't be biting us in the behind right now. Perhaps it's about money, power, lack of vision, or whatever... but the eventual solution seems to be out there. If only we'd collectively help make it happen.
Jessica - Hydrogen power is coming... one day. It has been right around the corner for a couple of decades.
Paul - Jay does have some cool stuff...
Jon - We have a different situation here than in Europe... and we need to have energy to thrive. We are just too spread out to be able to move products without cheap energy... not compact like Europe.
Bill - Thanks.
Tony & Darcy - The only reason the manufacturers walked away was because they couldn't find buyers.
Don - Because they didn't fit the market. The Edsel was a pretty good car... but they just couldn't sell them.
Jason - It will happen. We have technologies that previously weren't available...
At one time I thought the oil companies and the car companies were in on it together. The both wanted to keep the gasoline engine. I must think that they have gotten the message by now but it is so late in the game we will all suffer while they sort it out.
Terry - You know... there is a Paul Harvey's The Rest of the Story about the impending shortage of oil, and how it would be running out in 30 years. Of course, the punch line was that the conference of scientists that issued the statement met and stated that in about 1920.
And there isn't a cabal between the car companies and the oil companies. There are plenty of good business reasons for either to find alternatives... and there always have been.