I drive a Jetta TDI, it gets over 50mpg on average driving. Since it runs diesel and prices have been so absurd, I have been in the process of building a small biodiesel refinery. It's a pretty simple solution and as I'm calculating it, parts should pay for themselves in about 6 months, after which I should be able to produce BD well under $2.00/gal easily.
I live in the US (go figure) where really only two manufacturers produce cars using this technology (no domestic producers). The country has made serious mistakes on their alternative fuel planning:
- For instance, tax credits are given to those who drive hybrid cars WHICH still burn gas (or at best 85% ethanol), and are hardly as efficient on highways as their diesel competitors (which can run 100% biodiesel). No tax credits are given to those who drive TDI's which are more efficient outside of cities and can run on pure biodiesel.
- Biodiesel is shown to produce cleaner emissions, with the exception of more NOx production (which by the way can be controlled due to the lack of sulfur in BD). Unlike ULSD diesel, BD protects the engine better. It also benefits farmers in the country and slows the the bleed that continues (and will continue) in the US economy due to its reliance on foreign exports. The only real downside with BD is that it does not have a high tolerance for extreme cold, but most of the country could still be shifted to it (the rest could have smaller amounts blended in).
- Ethanol on the other hand has been shown to have a short shelf life, is extremely corrosive to many materials, and has poor efficiency. And yet the government mandates it get added to fuel to decrease efficiency some more and increase the demand for imports.
- The EPA has made it nearly impossible to produce diesel engined cars in the US, rather then trying to mandate a shift to BD blends and encouraging the production of more efficient cars, it continues to block them out of the market citing emissions. Consider if a diesel car puts out 20% more emissions, but gets nearly 40% more fuel efficiency, isn't there actually a net loss of 20% emissions. No, the EPA has not planned a shift to an alternative fuel which works, it still is promoting ethanol, of which not much good is coming of it.
The net fact remains, aside from some mass transport vehicles and fortunate rural areas in the west, most of the US relies solely on petroleum imports, and with current government policy, that's not about to change.
Joe