Hippie Juice
Apologies in Advance. The following piece has nothing whatsoever to do with sport.
What if I told you that it would cost you around €550 to modify your (petrol engine) car in such a way as to decrease its carbon emmissions by 70%? Which of these figures appeal more to you: the €550 or the 70%? Having touched on this subject before more than a year ago, it has reared its head again i.e. the primacy afforded the economy over the environment.
Yesterday's (March 8th) Morning Ireland carried a piece about modification kits for petrol engine cars which would allow them to run on bioethanol. Bioethanol is a mixture of standard petroleum and ethanol at a ratio of 15:85 respectively. The ethanol can be derived from many sources, including dairy production by-products such as whey. Bioethanol is now available in 13 Maxol outlets nationwide, although yet again lonely Connacht has been shafted with not one outlet offering the product in the province. But what if you run out of bioethanol in the back arse of nowehere and can't fill up? Simple, just bosh a load of petrol in. The modifications will allow for any mixture of ethanol and petrol, so you can put in 100% of either.
Presently, bioethanol costs around 20 cents per litre less than petrol. However, your engine will consume more bioethanol than petrol to cover the same distance. Ultimately, the losses here result in a relatively equal relationship between the price of petrol and bioethanol. And this brings us to the crux of the issue: why spend €550 on this without the prospect of any financial saving in the medium to long-term? This question is symptomatic of the persistent emphasis placed on economic considerations over and above all else. What we should be saying is: why wouldn't I spend €550 on a device that will dramatically reduce my car's carbon emissions? Anyone that has had a car for a few years will undoubtedly have cost the environment at least the equivalent (if not more) of €550 in damage due to harmful emissions. So, why not consider the cash outlay as payback to the environment?
These modification kits are only available in Cork at the moment (here and here). Self-installation is supposed to be straight-forward but if you're completely clueless any garage can do the job in 30 minutes. I have enquired about the suitability of my 16 year old Toyota Corolla and it appears it will work. The basic prerequisite is a multipoint injection system, which the vast majoity of cars built in the last 15-20 years should have.
Without sounding like a sandal-wearing bellend, the environment needs your help. The government could do a lot more to help this fledging industry along e.g. excuse the VAT on the mod kits and the bioethanol. If you have even an ounce of guilt about firing up that engine in the morning, you should consider the bioethanol option. And remember, the more people that buy into this, the cheaper it will become. It's basic supply and demand logic. (And yes, I am aware of the irony of using an economic law to support my argument).
tags:[Bioethanol]
Published by El Commandant P.
What if I told you that it would cost you around €550 to modify your (petrol engine) car in such a way as to decrease its carbon emmissions by 70%? Which of these figures appeal more to you: the €550 or the 70%? Having touched on this subject before more than a year ago, it has reared its head again i.e. the primacy afforded the economy over the environment.
Yesterday's (March 8th) Morning Ireland carried a piece about modification kits for petrol engine cars which would allow them to run on bioethanol. Bioethanol is a mixture of standard petroleum and ethanol at a ratio of 15:85 respectively. The ethanol can be derived from many sources, including dairy production by-products such as whey. Bioethanol is now available in 13 Maxol outlets nationwide, although yet again lonely Connacht has been shafted with not one outlet offering the product in the province. But what if you run out of bioethanol in the back arse of nowehere and can't fill up? Simple, just bosh a load of petrol in. The modifications will allow for any mixture of ethanol and petrol, so you can put in 100% of either.
Presently, bioethanol costs around 20 cents per litre less than petrol. However, your engine will consume more bioethanol than petrol to cover the same distance. Ultimately, the losses here result in a relatively equal relationship between the price of petrol and bioethanol. And this brings us to the crux of the issue: why spend €550 on this without the prospect of any financial saving in the medium to long-term? This question is symptomatic of the persistent emphasis placed on economic considerations over and above all else. What we should be saying is: why wouldn't I spend €550 on a device that will dramatically reduce my car's carbon emissions? Anyone that has had a car for a few years will undoubtedly have cost the environment at least the equivalent (if not more) of €550 in damage due to harmful emissions. So, why not consider the cash outlay as payback to the environment?
These modification kits are only available in Cork at the moment (here and here). Self-installation is supposed to be straight-forward but if you're completely clueless any garage can do the job in 30 minutes. I have enquired about the suitability of my 16 year old Toyota Corolla and it appears it will work. The basic prerequisite is a multipoint injection system, which the vast majoity of cars built in the last 15-20 years should have.
Without sounding like a sandal-wearing bellend, the environment needs your help. The government could do a lot more to help this fledging industry along e.g. excuse the VAT on the mod kits and the bioethanol. If you have even an ounce of guilt about firing up that engine in the morning, you should consider the bioethanol option. And remember, the more people that buy into this, the cheaper it will become. It's basic supply and demand logic. (And yes, I am aware of the irony of using an economic law to support my argument).
tags:[Bioethanol]
Published by El Commandant P.
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