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Help support AmericanEnergyIndependence.com Energy Efficiency and National Security There is no cheaper, cleaner source of energy than energy you do not have to produce
Energy efficiency means to do more with less. Efficiency is achieved by improving technology so less energy is required to get the same or better results. A refrigerator that does a better job with less energy or an automobile that gets better gas mileage without reducing power or performance are examples of advances in efficiency. A two mile per gallon increase in the average gas mileage of our nation's automobiles would reduce oil demand by more than all the oil that could be pumped out of Alaska. In contrast, decreases in gas mileage like that of the average SUV increases America's dependence on foreign oil. Energy efficiency is vital to the success of American Energy Independence. A nationwide improvement in energy efficiency will reduce the negative impact of energy price swings and energy shortages, and in so doing increase economic and national security. A national campaign to increase energy efficiency should focus on two broad goals:
Fuel Efficiency: If a car or truck averages 15 miles per gallon (15 mpg), it will take 10 gallons of gasoline to drive 150 miles. If the price of gasoline is $3.00 per gallon, the 150 mile drive will cost $30.00 (10 gal x $3). However, if a car or truck averages 30 miles per gallon, it would only need 5 gallons of gasoline to drive 150 miles, costing the driver $15.00 (5 gal x $3). The driver of a vehicle that averages 30 miles per gallon will be able to drive twice as far (per gallon of gas) as the driver of a vehicle that only gets 15 miles per gallon. If an oil shortage occurs and gasoline is rationed, limiting each vehicle to 10 gallons per fill, the vehicle that only gets 15 miles per gallon will be restricted to a driving range half that of the vehicle that gets 30 miles per gallon.
Industry analysts believe the price of gasoline could soar to $6 dollars per gallon if world oil supply cannot meet demand and gasoline refining capacity remains limited.
If gasoline rationing forces drivers to wait two hours or more in long gas lines before taking their turn at the pump, drivers will add the value of their time to the price they pay for gas. Fuel efficiency is not only about the price of gas; it is also about how far you can drive on a limited amount of gas. Fuel efficient cars and trucks help protect families from the rising cost of gasoline and will ease the pain of any future fuel shortage or gas rationing.
A typical gasoline powered automobile is only about 25% efficient. In other words, out of the 100% thermal energy potential of a gallon of gasoline, only about 25% of the energy is converted to real mechanical work that turns the wheels of the car — the other 75% is lost in the form of wasted heat and friction. Automobile transportation in the USA consumes about 140 billion gallons of gasoline per year. If the average fuel efficiency of the automobile is increased from 25% to 50%, then annual gasoline consumption in the USA would be reduced to about 70 billion gallons per year, cutting the demand for oil to make gasoline in half. If 35 billion gallons of ethanol were added to the national fuel supply, replacing another 35 billion gallons of gasoline, then the USA would only need 35 billion gallons of gasoline per year, which can be produced from domestic oil, making the USA completely energy independent. The goal of 50% energy efficiency for automobiles is the primary reason behind the national push for the development of fuel cells. The national fuel cell development effort should continue to receive public support, but right now a fuel cell costs more than ten times as much as a piston engine having equivalent power. America does not need to wait for fuel cell cars to realize significant automotive fuel efficiency gains. New Hybrid gasoline/electric cars and SUV's are available now and offer many of the benefits promised by fuel cells:
Gasoline/Electric hybrid vehicles (hybrids) will make a big difference toward reducing America's dependence on foreign oil, but plug-in hybrids would do much more. What is the difference between hybrid cars and plug-in hybrid cars? Hybrid electric cars are not charged from an electric outlet; they do not have electric plug-in capability. The Hybrid electric car has both a gasoline engine and electric motor with batteries. The hybrid's batteries are charged by: 1. Regenerative braking (captures the energy from slowing and stopping the car) and 2. From the alternator powered by the gasoline engine. Advocates of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles say that most people drive less than 20-30 miles at a time, which an all electric vehicle could handle, but people want to know they can go further than 30 miles if they need to. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is a hybrid that can ALSO be plugged into an electric outlet when the car is not needed, such as overnight while you are sleeping or during the day when you are at work and the car is parked in the lot all day. With a plug-in hybrid the vehicle's battery can supply power to the electric motor with energy taken from the grid during overnight charge, yet the PHEV continues to also have the full power of the hybrid's gasoline engine when needed. Because gasoline=oil dependence, the MPG (miles per gallon) that Americans should be concerned about is their miles per gallon of gasoline. Every mile that your car travels without using fuel made from petroleum (oil) will increase the overall average MPG of gasoline. In this sense, we are only concerned with gallons of gasoline consumed. If we are serious about national security and concerend about oil shortages, then any alternative power source that reduces the total consumption of your car's gasoline can be said to increase your car's MPG. The overall average miles per gallon [of gasoline] would be higher for a plug-in hybrid that charges its battery from the utility grid, than for a standard hybrid that uses its on-board fuel and alternator to re-charge its battery, because a percentage of the plug-in vehicle's mileage would be powered by electricity obtained from the grid, rather than only from the car's fuel tank. Plug-in hybrid cars could be the shortest path to freedom from Middle East oil, because America's electricity is generated from domestic resources such as coal, nuclear power, hydroelectric dams and natural gas. Less than 2% of electricity in the USA is generated from oil. A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle could get as much as 70% of its mileage powered by electricity from America’s electric grid. In contrast, a typical gasoline powered car or truck on the road today gets over 70% of its mileage from imported oil. If renewable energy is added to the grid and grid energy is used to charge the hybrid battery when it is plugged-in, then renewable energy would indirectly contribute to the highway fuel efficiency of the vehicle. In this way, wind and solar energy could help reduce dependence on gasoline. How
utilities can save America from its oil addiction, by Gal Luft, Co-Director,
Institute for the Analysis of Global Security. "The first technology
which enables utilities to move us around is plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.
A plug in hybrid electric vehicle is in essence a souped up version of
the hybrid vehicles (e.g. Toyota Prius) currently entering the auto market.
In addition to a battery with a 20-50 miles range that can be charged
using a standard electric outlet, plug-ins also have a fuel tank. Thus,
unlike the electric-only cars that entered the auto market in the 1980s,
plug-ins offer the same driving range as gasoline powered cars... Unlike
conventional hybrids which use gasoline from mile zero, plug-ins use electricity
to power most of the range of the battery. When the car exceeds its battery
range, its shifts seamlessly to gasoline power. Since 50% of cars on the
road in the U.S. drive 20 miles a day or less, most of the driving in
a plug-in is fueled by electricity. Overall, plug-ins can reduce gasoline
use by 85%. This is so dramatic a reduction that a plug-in SUV actually
would consume less gasoline than a standard compact car... Most of America's
electric power is generated from domestic resources such as coal, nuclear
power, and natural gas (barely 2% of U.S. electricity is generated from
oil.) While the money spent on gasoline ends up increasing the trade deficit
and padding the coffers of corrupt and dictatorial oil producing countries
who funnel large sums of it to the terrorists with whom we are at war,
money spent on electricity for the most part stays in America. Since most
of the power for a plug-in vehicle comes from domestically generated electricity,
wide use of plug-ins can shift the transportation sector from imported
to homemade energy."
Plugging Into The Grid — How Plug-In Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Can Help Break America's Oil Addiction and Slow Global Warming, By Joseph Romm and Peter Fox-Penner The California Cars Initiative: All About Plug-In Hybrids (PHEVs) From the University of California-Davis: New Super-Efficient Plug-in Hybrid Unveiled Plug-In Austin — The city of Austin Texas, building a Market for Gas-Optional Hybrids. Plug In America — advocates the use of plug-in cars, trucks and SUVs powered by cleaner, cheaper, domestic electricity to reduce our nation's dependence on petroleum. Plug-In Partners — a national grass-roots initiative to demonstrate to automakers that a market for flexible-fuel Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) exists today. Plug-in hybrids can travel up to 60 miles without using any gasoline after an overnight charge from a standard electric socket. Plug In Auto Nation — The Nation's largest retail car dealer sees the importance of the PHEV and its CEO is calling on his manufacturers to get with the program. “The development of plug-in hybrids could reduce America's addiction to oil,” said AutoNation CEO Mike Jackson. “These new hybrids would offer consumers a 50-mile all-electric range, get the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon, be fully recharged at night and deliver all the performance and comfort of traditional gasoline-powered vehicles without the damaging emissions.” How Car-Makers are Responding to the Plug-In Hybrid Opportunity GM working on electric version of SUV — General Motors makes commitment to build new electric vehicles as it attempts to shed its reputation for producing gas-guzzling trucks. Stung by criticism that it conspired to kill the electric car, the world’s largest automaker said it plans to make a plug-in electric hybrid version of the Saturn Vue Green Line, with double the fuel efficiency of any current sport utility vehicle. GM Chief Executive Rick Wagoner called the plug-in hybrid technology a “top priority”. GM's Plug-In Hybrid — Super-hybrids could slash gas consumption and usher in a new era of transportation 3 Big Questions for the Electric Car's Future — With big pushes from GM, Ford and Toyota, plug-in hybrids are back in the spotlight, but lurking in the shadows is the same old problem: building a lightweight, powerful, affordable battery. NANOTECHNOLOGY IS THE KEY TO U.S. ALTERNATIVE ENERGY GOALS — Altair Nanotechnologies Inc. CEO Alan J. Gotcher:
Advanced batteries of the type Altairnano is developing could enable the US auto industry to "leapfrog" the next generation of hybrid drive vehicles, where US industry and its technology are behind its Asian competitors. An Altairnano battery sized for an average five-passenger sedan could enable automakers to design an all-electric vehicle with similar performance and comfort to today's internal combustion-engine cars. The Altairnano goal is to deliver battery capabilities that could provide a sedan with a 200-plus-mile driving range, no degradation of operation over that entire distance; a recharge time of under 6 minutes (or about the time it takes to fill the tank of a large SUV); a battery that is completely safe from explosion or leakage of hazardous contents, and not least, no carbon dioxide emissions of any kind. “As an indirect benefit, we believe that we
will not have to compromise technical and economic competitiveness
in the auto industry in order to have
cleaner air. Such a vehicle is not 20
years away. Cars based on the Altairnano battery technology could be
in the market much sooner provided the automotive manufacturers decide
to design
and produce them, and the power recharging station infrastructure is built.”
Will
GM Win the Great Plug-In Hybrid Race? The father of the plug-in hybrid
has his doubts. Reviews of Who Killed the Electric Car? Return of the Plug-In Electric Car? — I wonder if the makers of the documentary film “Who Killed The Electric Car?” are watching the news out of Detroit these days. Could the Chevrolet Volt mean a return to plug-in hybrid vehicles in the U.S.? Maybe, if battery technology progresses enough to power such a vehicle. Fuel
Reduction using Electrons to End Dependence On the Mideast (FREEDOM)
Act of 2007 —June 14th, 2007 Batteries Key to Plugging in at Electric Vehicle Symposium New Batteries Offer Unsurpassed Recharge Performance And High
Energy:
Learn more about Hybrid Technology: Learn about a new generation of electric cars:
Reincarnation By Brad Stone, Newsweek —Start-up electric car maker Tesla Motors is betting that pump-weary Americans are ready for a rebirth. www.ProjectBetterPlace.com —Project Better Place has the vision, plan, investors and the partners to make scalable electric transportation a reality on a global scale and reduce the world's dependency on oil. Project Better Place will install and operate an Electric Recharge Grid consisting of charging spots and battery exchange stations.
New Independent Electric Car Companies: The Top Ten electric vehicles you can buy right now Electric Vehicle Batteries, Parts and Accessories: Electric Vehicle Organizations:
Learn about a new generation of electric bicycles: Learn about alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles:
* In January 2001, the Biodiesel Final Rule (PDF 142
KB) made it possible for fleets to earn EPAct credits for use of biodiesel
blends of at least 20%. This rule does not make B20
(a 20% blend of biodiesel with diesel) an alternative fuel, but gives one credit
for every 450 gallons of pure biodiesel used in biodiesel blends. See
also:
Alternative Fuel Designation Authority and The Renewable Fuel Standard
Program See: Fuel efficiency, fueleconomy.gov EPA Hydraulic Hybrid Research —Hydraulic hybrid technology uses a hydraulic energy storage and propulsion system in the vehicle. This hydraulic system captures and stores a large fraction of the energy normally wasted in vehicle braking and uses this energy to help propel the vehicle during the next vehicle acceleration. Hydraulic drivetrains are particularly attractive for vehicle applications that entail a significant amount of stop-and-go driving, such as urban delivery trucks or school buses. A major benefit of a hydraulic hybrid vehicle is the ability to capture and use a large percentage of the energy normally lost in vehicle braking. Hydraulic hybrids can quickly and efficiently store and release great amounts of energy due to a higher power density. This is a critical factor in maximizing braking energy recovered and increasing the fuel economy benefit. While the primary benefit of hydraulics is higher fuel economy, hydraulics also increase vehicle acceleration performance. Hydraulic hybrid technology cost-effectively allows the engine speed or torque to be independent of vehicle speed resulting in cleaner and more efficient engine operation. — June 20, 2006: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency demonstrated a delivery vehicle that uses advanced hybrid hydraulic technology. Based on laboratory tests, this vehicle achieves over 60-70 percent better fuel efficiency in urban driving and 40 percent lower CO2 greenhouse gas emissions. A typical fleet owner operating just one of these would save up to 1,000 gallons of fuel each year. UPS, EPA unveil much cleaner delivery truck 60-70 percent fuel savings cited, and 40 percent cut in warming gases Brighter,
cleaner outlook for U.S. diesels —Today’s diesel engines
provide 25 to 35 percent better fuel economy than typical gas engines. Jesse Toprak, executive director of industry analysis for Edmunds.com, an automotive Web site, reckons that over the next few years, diesel sales in the United States could rise to 5 or 10 percent of all auto sales. He said automakers need to get ahead of the trend, just as Toyota did with its popular gas-electric Prius hybrid.
“Automakers can’t ignore diesel, or they will be asking themselves why in a few years if diesel takes off, just as they did when the Prius became so popular,” Toprak said. “It’s all about getting ahead of the curve. When you get into making cars that use alternative fuels you are taking a risk, but the risk is that gas prices will go down and you might find people are more interested in gas-powered cars again. Realistically, that’s not likely to happen.”
An important ingredient in the adoption of diesel-powered cars is their ability to use bio-diesel made from biological sources such as vegetable oils, said Toprak. If carmakers give drivers the option of saving money on fuel and also the option of being “green,” they will tap into a growing niche market, he said.
“For all these new fuel technologies, ease of access to fuel is key to adoption rates,” Toprak said. While diesel is widely available at the 170,000 gas stations across the United States, only about 1,000 of them carry E85.
Toprak also notes that new federal rules mandating a shift to low-sulfur diesel, which reduces dirty soot, will allow diesels to be sold again in big markets like New York and California.
The 2007 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec sedan operates on diesel fuel and has a traveling range of more than 600 miles. Its starting retail price is only $1,000 more than that of a gasolilne-powered Mercedes E350. 70-mpg diesel concept car unveiled DaimlerChrysler Boss Strong on Diesel Future
BMW Advanced Diesel with BluePerformance —BMW's BluePerformance technology filters and actually cleans the exhaust before it leaves the vehicle, making this generation of Diesel engines the cleanest BMW has ever produced. With reduced emissions comparable to gasoline vehicles, and near-elimination of both smoke and NOx emissions, BMW Advanced Diesels will be every bit as clean as CARB-legal gasoline engines when they are introduced in the US in 2008. Thermophotovoltaic (TPV) conversion of light into electricity: New
engines promise 100% Alcohol Engine “The Flex-Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) produced today,
use fairly typical gasoline engines, which, because they must retain dual-fuel
capability,
are not able to take full advantage of the favorable combustion characteristics
of alcohols. An Engine for the Future Homogeneous
Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) “The HCCI engine is promising
the high efficiency of a diesel engine with virtually no NOx or particulate
emissions. The engine can operate using a variety of fuels. Given this
mix of attributes, it is not surprising that considerable research is
going on around the world on the HCCI engine.” Reported by Lawrence
Livermore National Laboratory. Multi-Fuel ICE FlexDI™ One Engine – Any Fuel — Availability and variety of fuels in the future will mean that vehicles may need to use more than one fuel type. Vehicles may need to run on combinations of gaseous and liquid fuels or mixtures of liquid fuels. Some engines may need to use two separate fuels at the same time. FlexDI can enable use of a variety of liquid fuels or mixtures of liquid fuels depending on what fuel is available. This is particularly important in remote regions where fuel supply is uncertain. One engine design can feasibly operate on all current liquid fuels with out any modification. The StarRotor is another multi-fuel engine. The Incredible Shrinking Engine A new engine design could significantly improve fuel efficiency for cars and SUVs, at a fraction of the cost of today's hybrid technology. Daniel Cohn, a senior research scientist at MIT's Plasma Science and Fusion Center says: "An 2.4-liter midsize gasoline engine would be a rocket with our technology."
Cohn and his colleagues have created a design that they believe could
triple the power of their test engine, an advance that could allow
automakers to convert small engines designed for economy cars into
muscular
engines with more than enough power for SUVs or sports cars. By extracting
better performance from smaller, more efficient engines, the technology
could lead to vehicles whose fuel economy rivals that of hybrids. The NEVIS(New Exhaust Valve & Intake System) engine An innovative Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) that within a single patented engine design is estimated to nearly double the fuel efficiency attained by conventional ICE technologies. Its modular cylinder construction (e.g. 2, 4, 6 or 8 cylinder engines from a one-cylinder block) offers opportunities to enhance manufacturing efficiency while allowing a single facility to produce a wide range of engine sizes for varying power needs suited for diverse applications (automotive, aeronautic and marine). Its versatile design means it can be configured to be fuelled not only by gasoline but also by diesel, hydrogen and bio-fuels. NEVIS Engine Company Ltd. www.nevisengine.com An engine for optimum efficiency and environmental benefit A new automotive engine technology is being developed that promises to provide increased fuel efficiency while at the same time increasing engine performance and significantly reducing exhaust pollution. The engine is called a Quasiturbine. For more information visit QUASITURBINE ENGINE - USA. Or for a detailed discussion of the principles of Quasiturbine design and performance, download Quasiturbine: strategic potential as a photodetonation engine from the Quasiturbine web site. A white paper describing the Quasiturbine in detail is available for download from eMotionReports: “Amidst myriad, and many times unsupportable, claims of technological breakthroughs –fuel cells being at the top of this contention – capable of inducing vehicular design and engineering paradigm shifts, we have concluded that the Saint-Hilaire Quasiturbine may very well provide impetus to retire the piston engine. eMotionReports.com is providing a comprehensive white paper that will perhaps allow you to reach the same conclusion.” The Rand Cam™ is another new technology, similar to the Quasiturbine. Invention could make a big difference in fuel efficiency The September 2004 Special Issue of Popular Science magazine featured a story by Charles Graeber, titled Obsession: Mr. Singh’s Search for the Holy Grail, about an inventor in India who has received a U.S patent for an invention that could increase your car's gas mileage by as much as 20%. The inventor's name is Somender Singh, he lives in the city of Mysore, located a few hours south of the city of Bangalore—the center of India's new high tech industry. This invention is something that car manufacturers could add to next year’s cars and SUV’s because it does not require a new engine design, just a simple modification to the standard designs.
To read the article on-line, go to www.popsci.com and type "Somender Singh" into the Popular Science search field. Take a look at Singh's website: www.somender-singh.com If all of the existing cars on American highways were designed with Mr. Singh's invention, the yearly national fuel savings could equal the amount of oil America imports from the Persian Gulf. American voters need to tell their elected representatives to support fuel efficiency now
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Copyright © 2003-2008 Ron Bengtson. Boise, Idaho USA |
Some people like to fool themselves by thinking that a larger gas tank
is the same as higher gas mileage. But when inevitable shortages occur
because of 
During the
Arab oil embargo of 1973-74 and the Iranian Revolution of 1979-80, Americans
were subjected to gasoline rationing and long gas lines
at the gas station. As a result, gas guzzling cars and trucks were called “Gas
Hogs” and their value dropped to nearly zero. Today,
people are spending $50,000 and more for gas guzzling SUV’s and
pickup trucks. If a serious gasoline shortage occurs again gas guzzling
cars and trucks will be a liability, no one will want them. 
The 
The 
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