Motor Trend's Top Ten Technologies have a decidedly green tint
Looking back on 2008, it seems that the biggest stories that shaped the automotive landscape had more to do with gas prices and economic conditions than the vehicles themselves. Regardless, there are quite a few new technologies that are just starting to make waves, and many of them are intended to reduce the world's use of petroleum and the resultant emissions. Proof positive can be seen in Motor Trend's list of the "Top Ten Tech Treasures" of 2008. For instance, the first two bits of technology praised by MT are the cellulosic ethanol processes being used by Coskata and Mascoma, while the third has to do with finding a suitable non-food crop for said ethanol. Ethanol not your style? Try methanol, which manages to hold down spots 4 and 5 in one form or another. There's five more entries on the list, and we don't want to spoil them for you, so we'll just mention that all but one have something to do with saving fuel or cutting emissions.[Source: Motor Trend]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
ziv 11:32AM (1/03/2009)
Drat, Ceres/Blade's switchgrass states that it requires 20" of precipitation to grow well. Switchgrass would be a phenomenal source of biofuel due to its ability to flourish without fertilizer, tilling or irrigation, while yielding high amounts of ethanol per acre, but for it to really succeed it has to thrive in land that is otherwise marginal, i.e. land that gets 10" to 14" of precipitation a year. Otherwise all we will hear is that it is taking food out of the mouths of the poor.
Wonder what kind of hit the yields would take with a foot of precipitation a year... After all, the land is cheap.
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Mike!!ekiM 4:04PM (1/04/2009)
A Field of Solar Panels would make better use of the soil. Requiring No Labor, no water, fertilizer, no "brewing", no transportation.
Farmer's should grow switch grass and convert the profit slowly into fields of solar panels.
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Chris M 4:31PM (1/04/2009)
Hey, there's enough room for both solar and switchgrass, as solar panels can be placed where switchgrass cannot grow, like on rooftops and over parking lots.
Besides, liquid fuels from biomass can be used in older vehicles and in "range extenders" for PHEVs.