crankyDavid Morris's commentary on electric vehicles and alternative fuels promises a lot. His proposals fall short, though, for those of us who don't live in the city.
I drive from 20,000 to 25,000 miles a year, and 95 percent of that is on the highway cruising at the speed limit. A hybrid vehicle gains me absolutely nothing under those conditions, and a 50-mile pure electric range is completely useless when my average trip is 150 miles.
Ethanol-based fuels make no economic sense whatsoever with current pricing models. E85 (85% ethanol, 15% gasoline) has only about 2/3 the energy content of pure gasoline, by the only real-world measure that counts: fuel mileage in real cars. When regular is $2.69, and E85 is $2.64, as it is at the only station selling it in Fairmont, buying E85 is pure foolishness masquerading as environmental awareness.
Until someone manages to produce a different technology that makes sense for me and the driving I do, I'll stick with plain old gasoline, thank you.
