Monday, September 15, 2008



Before we enter into the current debate about diesel, I think that it is important to clarify the substance itself. Diesel can be divided into two distinct categories: diesel that is manufactured through the use if petroleum and diesel that is manufactured with bio-products. The latter is more commonly known as bio-diesel. In upcoming posts I'll go deeper into each and compare them to current technology on the road.

As stated previously, I think that diesel is a key component of making this country energy independent. Granted, the emissions from petroleum diesel release more particulates into the atmosphere, the opposite is true for bio-diesel. Of course, I want to be fair in all aspects of this so I included links to sites supporting both sides of the argument:


These websites are from legitimate organizations. Again, it is all in the spirit of fairness. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to find anyone that does not have a bias, but I did my best.

Obviously, these websites are also more environment related than energy related. I wanted you to look through those first before I moved on to my next point: it takes less energy to create a gallon of diesel versus a gallon of gasoline. Basically, we are wasting energy creating energy. I know what you are thinking, "why, then, is diesel so expensive." Well, the answer is simple: supply and demand. More people use gasoline. Maybe I'm crazy, but the better reliability and fuel economy that comes with a diesel engine seems to be the clear winner. That is what all of the automotive companies are trying to perfect right now.

Monday, September 8, 2008

Energy


What makes the world go 'round? Energy. It's that simple. One word has sparked numerous debates in our country and around the world.



Those in charge seem to think that alternative energy is the quick fix to America's energy emergency. I, however, am not convinced. The average motor vehicle company takes about four years to design and build a new vehicle. That is the term of one president. With that said, even the new president won't have a one hundred percent alternative energy fleet of cars.

My mission is simple, provide straight forward facts to inform the reader why we need to focus on fossil fuel technology now and gradually move into alternative energies. For any "go green" advocates who may read this, I am going to focus on diesel due to it's effects on the environment.