methanol

Diesel engines are the workhorses of the heavy-duty vehicle segment. Oil burners have abundant low-end torque which, coupled with inherent higher efficiency than gas engines, make them ideally suited for heavy hauling applications. But what if a turbocharged, high-compression, alcohol-fed, ...

Methanol is an unusual alcohol. For one thing, it can be used in fuel cells instead of hydrogen. It is also used by homebrewers to make biodiesel. Alternatively, it can be used in internal combustion engines instead of gasoline (see: drag racing). In China, methanol has just been approved by the ...

Nissan's Smyrna, Tennessee assembly plant will soon be cutting its CO2 emissions and improving productivity. The plant is retrofitting 60 material handling tugs that are used to move parts around with new methanol fuel cells. The tugs are currently fitted with lead acid batteries that have to be ...

Could the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel enter production? According to a post on Lotus Enthusiast, that's an entirely real possibility due to interest from Youngman Auto, which is the British automaker's Chinese partner. It seems ...

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 ...

Click above for hi-res gallery of the Lotus Exige 270E Tri-Fuel British sportscar-maker and engineering firm Lotus may be known for its lightweight vehicles, but in the industry it still packs a punch as a heavyweight. It's that weight which Lotus is throwing behind methanol as the most viable ...

At first we thought somebody out there was exercising their ninja photoshop skillz but then it occurred to us that those folks would probably not be busying themselves with the likes of the G-Wiz. No, this had to be the product of a mind so sick, so twisted, that it created the original Reva G-Wiz, ...

Click the Exige for a high-res gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/autos/Gas_E85_or_Methanol_Lotus_Exige_270E_tri_fuel_sports_car'; Back in mid-2006, Lotus unveiled a flex-fuel E85-capable Exige 265E that was being used as a technology demonstrator. Lotus has used the 265E to learn about ...

Robert Zubrin has new book on gaining petroleum independence by switching from imported oil to alcohol fuels. He wants Congress to require that all new cars and trucks built be flex-fuel capable. There's an interesting interview done by Glenn Reynolds and Helen Smith on their podcast. Zubrin ...

Here we're quite happy to report about progress on the so-called "Second Generation" biofuels, such as cellulosic ethanol, which yield cleaner results than "First Generation" ones like corn ethanol. However, there is also something that the French site MoteurNature calls "Zero Generation" biofuel: ...