Ethanol & Hybrid Taxis for St. Louis?
My post from a few days ago on the London Taxi sparked some excellent debate about taxi service in the St. Louis area. Via GreenCarCongress comes a report about the greater availability of ethanol derived fuel (aka E85) in some popular Ford vehicles:
At the Chicago Auto Show, Ford Motor Company said that it will launch the beginnings of a “Midwest Ethanol Corridor”—expanding E85 ethanol fuel availability in Illinois and Missouri this year by about one-third via its ongoing partnership with VeraSun Energy. The company is planning actions to increase the availability of ethanol in neighboring states as well.
With the introduction of four new 2006 models that have the E85 option—including the Ford F-150 pickup, Ford Crown Victoria, Mercury Grand Marquis and Lincoln Town Car—the company will produce up to 250,000 ethanol-capable vehicles in 2006. Ford has produced flexible fuel vehicles in the US for more than a decade, with more than 1.6 million on the road.
The Ford Crown Vic has to be the most popular vehicle for taxi service in the region. With the taxi commission regulations on the age of vehicles it would be nice for taxi companies to consider switching to flexible fuel versions as they replace their fleet.
The same article mentions the Ford Escape Hybrid for taxi use in New York, San Francisco and soon in Chicago. NYC is also using Toyota’s Prius hybrid for taxi service.
Maybe the time is right for a more progressive cab company with a fleet of hybrids, flex-fuel and London taxis? Let unique vehicles and availability at the conclusion of major events such as the symphony be their competitive edge.
– Steve
Colorado has a law that requires fleets (taxi companies, phone companies, etc.) above a certain number of vehicles to have at least 10% of their vehicles using alternative fuels around Denver to reduce air polution . . .
It would be nice to see government fleets change to hybrids as well. They could conceivable get CMAQ Funding to help fund the switch.
There was a very interesting article in this month’s Fortune magazine on the wide use of E85 in Brazil (40% of all fuel bought is ethanol). Ford and Volkswagon are apparently leading the way there with “flex fuel” vehicles.
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2006/02/06/8367959/index.htm
Too bad the Japanese auto companies seem to be against ethanol so far.
Wish they grew sugar cane in Illinois.
Forget sugar cane, lets get with using what we do grow around here to make ethanol.
But more importantly demand that the gas stations around here prepare to distribute it.
I have read and heard from a number of sources (including James Howard Kunstler) that ethanol actually uses more petroleum and natural gas through production and fertilization than it actually produces resulting in a net loss. If this is true then what’s the point?
Besides higher efficiency, and flexible sources, the key still seems to reduce miles traveled by better land planning that promotes shorter trips, walking, cycling, and mass transit.
There is no silver bullet.
While I am no expert, it is hard to see how James Howard Kunstler would have any objectivity on such an issue. Or any credibility for that matter.
[REPLY – Dustin is correct to point out that other fuels or hybrids will still not allow us to continue our auto habits. We must reduce total miles driven to see a reduction of energy consumption. – SLP]
Ethanol, hybrids, etc. are all trying to do the same things: reduce pollution, reduce foriegn dependence for gas, help the american farmer. The same goals could probably be achieved more simply my mandating 10% or more vehicles/taxis be rated at 35mpg or more.
Science magazine just published the latest study on whether ethanol is a positive or negative energy source. This current study says ethanol from corn generates about 85% more energy than the energy it consumes to produce it. However, ethanol from corn still produced about the same amount of green house gases as solely using petroleum. The study suggested ethanol from sources with higher cellulose content would be better. In the Midwest, we could grow switchback grass.
As state governments continue to subsidize ethanol production, they should implement requirements for developing other plant sources besides corn.
Disclaimer: I haven’t read the actual study. These are just the points I gleamed from NPR and other news sources. The science community is still debating the ethanol issue, but it’s generally accepted corn is not the best source of ethanol.
[REPLY – Thanks for the info! I filled up my car this morning and noticed on the pumps something I already knew but didn’t think about — that all grades of the gas contain 10% ethanol. – SLP]