Debunking ‘Some Common Myths About Alternative Fuels’: GMNext Video Series
by Matthew McDermott, New York, NY on 08. 4.08
In the first of a series of video clips to be presented by :: GMNext we get a glimpse of exactly how much more the renewable energy industry needs to do to make the general public aware of the different types of alternative energy sources actually are created.
In this clip an interviewer stops people on the street and asks them about E85 ethanol: What it is? How is it made? How does it compare to gasoline? And so on. The answers are more humorous than anything else. Obviously this isn’t a scientific study and the responses chosen to be included probably were chosen for absurdity rather than anything else. All so another GM presenter could set the record straight on E85 ethanol and debunk some myths.
Video Provides Basic Info, Short on Bigger Ethanol Issues
I don’t mean to imply that the information GM is presenting is false, not in the slightest. It’s just that the answers don’t really debunk any myths, not exactly. The whole clip provides more very basic information than anything else.
None of the bigger issues of ethanol production are addressed or even hinted at: The link between biofuel production and rising food prices; The amount of land which would be required to produce enough liquid biofuels to feed the current demand for gasoline; The amount of energy produced by ethanol compared to the energy required to make it. I could on...
I guess a three minute video clip can’t really do those topics justice though.
Ethanol
Ethanol: How the Fuel is Produced, Growing Corn and Other Feedstocks, and More
First Commercial-Scale Cellulosic Ethanol Plant Approved for California
HA HA HA HA!!
"Eventually, E85 will come from used tires." Holy crap, can you imagine how many 'used tires' it would take to get enough E85 for one tank of gas! Where do they get these people?
Another problem with the current Green Movement:
From the video:
"Q: Is ethanol better for the environment?
A: Is vegetable oil better for the environment? I don't know, can you reuse it? Uh. Yeah."
Green washing is almost too easy.
This isn't a Debunking of Myths as much as a general display of complete ignorance.
"I don't think it can power race cars. I don't know how fast it is."
Agreed. There's no debunking anywhere. It's really just showing 5 or 6 clueless consumers and 1 GM employee. I wonder if they actually interviewed someone who knew what was going on and just decided not to include it.
HI, I GUESS IT BECAUSE I LIVE IN THE MID-WEST BUT I CAN'T BELEVE SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T KNOW WHAT E-85 FUEL ....NOW IT CAN BE MADE FROM ALL SORTS OF MATERALS AND BURN ONLY 15% GAS.....WIN WIN WIN
Right now E85 is not a good thing. The amount of Chemical bug sprays and fertilizers used to grow the corn makes it a very bad idea. If someone can figure out how to grow a crop other than corn and get 20 times the amount of alcohol from that crop and without the use of Chemical bug sprays and fertilizers then they have a winner.
Where did they find those people are the street? That makes me sad, if most people are as ignorant as that.
Also, the host didn't go into any great detail on any of the topics.
Please read-Americans need to know!!!!!!!!
NHTSA Hearings 8/4/08
I just returned from the NHTSA hearings held today (August 4, 2008) in Washington D.C., regarding the Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) for NEW Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards (CAFÉ) for years 2011-2015.
IMPORTANT FACTS: You will not believe what you are reading.
1) The 414 pages DEIS analysis was based on an average gasoline price of USD $2.16/gallon for 2011-2020. A calculation approved by the NHTSA administrators/managers. Would you believe it???????????
2) The new CAFÉ rules were also established, negotiated and pre-approved by the NHTSA’s management along with the influence of domestic automotive companies and their lobbyists. We have now established fuel standards for 2011-2020 that presently met in the rest of the Western world (see below)
As one guest speaker said today “are they on another planet?”
NHTSA “NEW Fuel Standards” (2011-2015) decision:
Automobiles are to achieve 31.2 mpg by 2011 and 35.7 mpg by 2015. Light trucks are to achieve 25 mpg by 2011, and 28.6 mpg by 2015.
The NTHSA is also setting a goal of 35 mpg on average for 2020.
America needs to know:
The European Union is currently establishing standards, with a goal of reaching 48.9 miles per gallon for new passenger vehicles as early as 2012. The current EU standard already requires more than 40 miles per gallon about 15% higher than the U.S. goal set for 12 years from now.
Japan currently has a standard of about 40 miles per gallon. Japan aims to further improve fuel efficiency by 17% by 2015, reaching 46.9 miles per gallon.
China has a current average of slightly under 35 miles per gallon. Chinese fuel standards are on target to reach the government’s goal of 35.8 miles per gallon by 2009. China will not only meet, but exceed, the goal just established by the United States for 2020 — more than a full decade earlier.
Australia is targeting 34.4 miles per gallon by 2010.
Canada is targeting 34.1 miles per gallon by 2010.
Under the current administration, purchasing an electric vehicle is becoming more of a necessity rather than an alternative.
BG Automotive Group, Ltd. (www.BGelectricCars.com)
Street interviews of people who don't know stuff isn't interesting or funny unless they say something funny
There is nothing more lame than an old man trying to act like someone that the younger generation can relate to.