The Ethanol Papers - Paperturn manuscript - Flipbook - Page 346
to many alt-fuel advocates, we do not favor small vehicles versus large
vehicles. We think that people should be able to buy whatever size vehicle they want and burn as much fuel as they want. The only concern we
have is that the fuel should be domestically produced, be inexpensive,
and not enslave us to foreign producers and questionable regimes. Moreover, we don't jingoistically think that only America should benefit from an
enlightened domestic fuels program, we think that all countries should do
the same with respect to their respective resources.
“We are aware of the warranty issue and the reluctance of auto manufacturers to accept responsibility for vehicles using a fuel that they don't explicitly recommend. But the manufacturers always have the reluctance to
change and always fight anything that is not part of their status quo, unless they perceive a significant marketing or financial advantage in doing
so. If the manufacturers had their way they never would have abandoned
leaded gasoline; they would have never adopted the use of catalytic converters; they might not have voluntarily accepted universal seat belts and
airbags or many other safety features, etc., etc. So, their reluctance is
less indicative of qualitative or safety reasons than because of negative
financial implications arising from competitive concerns or insurance
claim vulnerability. Moreover, OEM personnel are as likely to be ignorant
of alternative fuel features and specifications as non-industry personnel.
Even those who are specifically tasked with marketing non-traditional
fuel-powered vehicles are typically only semi-knowledgeable about their
specific energy format and will very often repeat the most egregiously
incorrect information about the other alternatives. Consequently, their
misunderstanding of ethanol's benefits is rather simple to understand.
“The answer, to us, is a national paradigm shift. Ethanol is the best engine
fuel for most passenger and lighter commercial vehicles - history and the
test of time have proven this. Even if the use of ethanol in any blend level
did create engine damage, the answer is not to abandon ethanol; the answer is to immediately mandate that all applicable new passenger vehicles and light trucks to be sold in America be built with engines that are
optimized to run on ethanol (not gasoline), and the government should
provide a trillion dollars (since the administration seems so happy to dish
out economic stimulus money) for whatever refitting is necessary for all
vehicles produced since the mid-'90s. However, the really good news is
that because ethanol does not damage engines and can be used in very
high blend levels with little or no re-fitting, the government may not have
to lay out very much money. In any event, the result would be a fantastic
