Pollution, high gas prices, what do you think of this idea?

Question

A generator that will run on Ethanol, for about 4 hours on 1 gallon of fuel, that runs an electric motor that powers your car? How far can you drive in 4 hours?

Answer 1

This is the basic idea, as I understand it, of the Chevy Volt.  I can't precisely answer the question because "it varies" - car size, quality of fuel, generator efficiency, road conditions, etc.  Under optimal conditions you could probably get around 20-25 kWh of power per gallon from the ethanol, maybe, but how much loss before use is just yet another question.

The basic idea of running an engine - be it ethanol, diesel, gasoline or whatever - at it's peak efficiency rpm-wise & generating electricity for driving isn't too bad of one.  ICEs aren't particularly efficient except at fairly narrow bands, but combine this band plus some kind of plug-in and it can be a good vehicle.

By comparison, most EVs get on the order of 4 miles per kWh (so if you're paying 12c/kWh at night when you charge, your cost is 3c/mile).  You should be able to punch these numbers into the above if you want an answer at best within an order of magnitude of correct.

I will say that although the above poster stampsou is correct in the current instantiation of ethanol, it's not required that it be that way.  We just have system that won't let things happen if we don't buy off all the old businesses & cater to the bigger lobbies & cartels that have bought of the politicos.  Right now that means corn and then made in such a way that we're spending lots of fossil fuels to get it - harvesters run by diesel made the old fashioned way, etc.  Gotta keep those execs at Monsanto paid & happy.

Answer 2

If it were do-able, wouldn't there already be thousands of them running around everywhere?

Answer 3

how many Watts of power can that generator make ?

that will determine if it even has power to move the car..

my guess is with that setup we can go 4-8 miles with that setup...faster to walk

Answer 4

is this a math question? plz i just came from skool

but about pollution we're all gonna die in 50 years!

Answer 5

if everyone uses ethanol - or some sort of green fuel, it is going to cause more devastation to the environment because it utilizes more energy to produce one gallon of "GREEN" fuel than it does to produce 1 gallon fossil fuel AND use it.

this whole corn for fuel debate is going to make all the farmers and politicians richER  while not helping the environment at all - - it is worse!