Well, I'll be...There are two cars in Brazil that operate on 100% ethanol

[Random Variable]

In August, the percentage of automobiles and light commercial vehicles powered by flex-fuel engines topped 64 percent, a new record. In the country, 34 percent of vehicles run on gasoline and two operate on pure ethanol. The trend could boost the flex-fuel vehicles to 80 percent of the market by 2006. Most flex-fuel vehicles here run on ethanol, at half the cost of gasoline.

:Q

😛

http://www.thecarconnection.com/Auto_Ne...ily_Edition_Oct_4_2005.S173.A9401.html

 

[nakedfrog]

Now we just need to find a way to get more energy out of ethanol than it takes to produce it, eh? 😛

 

[Kenazo]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Now we just need to find a way to get more energy out of ethanol than it takes to produce it, eh? 😛

That will never work, if you're including the sunlight that went into the plants in the first place. 🙂

 

[GreenGhost]

In the eighties, MOST brazilian cars (94% in 1984) operated on alcohol. It was "fueled" by government programs that gave important tax breaks (taxes were about 40% or more of the value of the car). Alcohol was cheaper than gas, but cars would get worse mileage. The taxes and car tags made the big difference. Diesels are not allowed for passenger cars (maybe Diesel prices are kept cheaper artificially, to reduce transportation costs).

You would get 5-10% more power from the same engine. There's absolutely no difference when driving it. The first ones (1980-81) were terrible in cold weather, which in Brazil means 3 days a year). I worked for an energy co., so all cars were alcohol since the mid-seventies. With temps below 40F you had to let the car run for 5 mins before driving it.
Great alcohol smell in the garage, though. Pity that CO thing.

What's new are the "flex-fuels" that accept either gas or alcohol (or a mix?) without any conversions. Back in the 80's people would do some home conversions, but not all worked well. Alcohol has a lot of water old carburetors, gas pumps and tanks would have problems with that.

Production of alcohol cars decreased when the prices were in favor of cheap oil, and some subsidies were cut.

 

[GreenGhost]

Originally posted by: nakedfrog
Now we just need to find a way to get more energy out of ethanol than it takes to produce it, eh? 😛

I don't have numbers, but the math may not work in the case of the US. In Brazil they use sugar cane planted in warm regions (and cheaper land), where it's green 12 months of the year. Also quantities were enough to supply the internal market, 20 years ago, and there were suppliers near high populated areas. While there were subsidies to farmers (I'm sure many people got rich), the real incentive for ordinary people were the tax breaks, which made new alcohol-powered cars much cheaper than almost identical gas-powered cars.