[LMB] Energy efficiency

[Mark Allums]

Stewart Dean wrote:
Myth #2: It pollutes.  Yes, it has because
> America has had high-sulfur diesel,  ONce the sulfur has been removed 
> (it now is), the sulfuric acid burn-product that ate up tailpipe 
> emission gear is gone and they can be as clean as gasoline engines...as 
> they have been for years in Europe.

Excellent point.  Diesel for passenger cars is now all the low-sulfur 
type.  The newer engines are also much better about the whole soot 
production thing.  It is my opinion that a Diesel Hummer[1] is greener 
than a Prius.  (Those batteries!)  There *is* the downside that the fuel 
costs quite a bit more than gasoline, but there are more BTUs per unit 
volume of Diesel fuel than gasoline.  And it's *way* higher than 
ethanol.  My family drove a Diesel Rabbit in the *seventies* that got 50 
mpg.  With a 1.4 liter engine.

--MArk Allums, opinionated today


1. Well-cared-for Hummers probably last 300,000 miles.  A Prius is ready 
to be put out to pasture by 100,000.  So one would go through three sets 
of batteries in the life time of one Hummer, at least.  This equation 
will change if/when battery tech finally is improved to the point that 
the battery charge/recharge cycle is much better, batteries can be used 
harder and longer, recycling becomes nearly 100% percent efficient in 
reclaiming and reusing materials, and the batteries themselves reach a 
high enough energy density to be an economical storage medium and 
alternative to gasoline.  Energy density is a problem, in and of itself. 
  A high energy density battery is a small bomb.  Ask users of Sony-made 
lithium-ion laptop batteries about that one.