Simviation Forums

Everyday we hear and feel the rising cost of petrol, and everyday we hear of the new-fuels that will get rid of the need for petrol, but they just seem to stay ideas. Well I've been thinking, and I think I may have thought up a million dollar plan.

Right we can clone animals, and such, but why can't we make man-made petrol, I mean compared to cloning a sheep, how hard can it be?

I came up wit this idea after hearing some guys at the airport talking about a company was making man-made AV fuels (110LL, 100LL, and such), and that they were in the process of getting it FAA approved. They also said it was more eco-friendly, lasted longer, the plane did not need to be changed in anyway, and cost less to produce than it was to refine crude oil. (but I've forgotten the name of the company )

So, why not try it with cars?  :-?


Just though I should mention have I'm one of those people who get an idea at 3:00am and write it down on a notepad, and when I wake-up in the morning I read over and go, what the hell does this mean!

I'm bummed (and not bummed somehow) that Ethanol did not make it...actually, I hope they get rid of it. It's bad for most cars that don't support "Flexfuel", it raises some food prices, and it is proven to be worse for the environment then fossil fuels.

Man-made petrol is a great idea only if it could be super-mass produced. Or used alongside of gasoline...

It's just because the oil companies are billionaires and they don't want to do anything different.

Such things do exist, but a1 is right. I've heard conspiracy theories that oil companies buy up any patents for things that would replace gas/petroleum so that we will have to keep using gas and keep paying them. I'm not sure if I really believe that, but I have an idea of my own on how to make alternative fuels a reality and keep everyone happy. First make any company that produces a product with petroleum pay a giant tax on it. This would force oil companies to find an alternative in order to maintain their profit margines. We get cheaper fuel and they don't have to pay a crazy tax anymore.

It's just because the oil companies are billionaires and they don't want to do anything different.

Right, but lets just say it cost $1 to produce a gallon of man-made petrol, and they sell it for $3 per gallon, they is still a massive profit, and then they wouldn't have to buy/ship the oil at all, so then that would get rid of oil spills, I mean it sounds like it would sell its self. I just hope that people will read this, tell others about it, then sooner or later the idea will reach someone who has the technology and know-how to put it into action.

Still leaves the "Global Warming" MYTH!!! Natural warming and cooling!!! 8-)

Still leaves the "Global Warming" MYTH!!! Natural warming and cooling!!! 8-)

Wasn't this "Global Warming" thing actually part of a 14,000 year cycle caused by the sun? I heard it on a talk show and it sounds very logical.

I was only twenty or so years ago that scientists were talking about an impending ice age, so I'm not terribly worried about global warming.   Heck, who decided global warming is bad?  LOL

As for the alternative fuels, ethanol would never have amounted to anything if it wasn't for the farm lobby.  Any scientists will tell you it isn't an eco friendly alternative, not to mention our cars are now directly competeing for our food source.  Once the government quits mandating ethanol and subsidizing it, I expect it to die a quiet death.  

Now I must pack up because the corn farmers that live around me will be exiling me!  

It's also quite difficult to find other things that have the same energy stored that gasoline has.  Not too much else can store as much energy as gas, while taking up little space, while being as easy to find and refine.  

Trust me, there are many, many, many, many people working on it.  There's an 80% chance that if someone tells you they're a mechanical engineer, they're trying to find a way to make mechanical devices more efficient so they use less fuel to get more work.  It's what I've spent the last four years working on and learning about.


Also, 75% of statistics are made up 62% of the time.  But they're close.

I think I read an article about the man made jet fuel from everyday garbage or some kind of normal waist.  Sounds pretty promising and a much better idea then ethanol.

Ethanol will die eventually, not that its a bad idea but due to...most older cars can't run it, costs nearly the same as a regular gallon of gas, gets less miles out of that gallon, few stations sell it, and most of the people who would actually use it wont be able to afford these new flex fuel vehicles until they are 10 year old rust buckets :P

It needs to die quickly, not keep expanding.  There is a huge ethanol plant that just popped up on the edge of my town.  Will go into full operation this year at harvest time.  This is one of about 4 or more within a 50 mile radius of me...they took most of our corn last year, and when they go into full production this year they will probably take a good 90% of the local harvest.  Only problem with this...us farmers that raise mostly livestock, the cost of grain has skyrocketed since last year, this combined with the already record gas prices has sent many small farmers packing and many more will soon join.  One I worked at for years shut its doors a couple months ago, the one I'm at now is starting to head that direction.  We can't run ethanol in the farm equipment, 99% of us can't run it in our current trucks...in other words its doing nothing but putting many of us out of a job >:(  

The ethanol plant will only employ 40 people when completed...its already put more then that out of a job thanks to turning our livestock feed into edible gold.  Its estimated in my area alone this one plant...combined with record gas prices) will put about 300+ people (those of us working on small farms) out of a job within the first year.  Not a step in the right direction when it will only employ 40 out of that 300+ >:(

The only good thing so far is the massive bio-diesel plant that is just to my north.  Its the biggest one in the world  It too has an effect on the local feed costs due to taking a lot of the soybeans...but...anyone with a diesel vehicle can run it without having to modify anything, most of the local school buses now use it and many of us are beginning to run it in the farm equipment.  Gets about the same mileage as regular diesel as well.  I'm looking into selling my current gas truck and getting an old diesel instead.  Only issue is winters bitter cold temperatures here, regular diesel gels...but bio-diesel almost solidifies  But the main thing is its usable and a good alternative

But now its just record high gas prices killing us.  Regular unleaded, watered down, low grade gas just hit $3.95 a gallon this afternoon, diesel is over $4.30 a gallon.  If it was to stay at $3.95, it means roughly $140 in fuel JUST for work this week...over a 3rd of my paycheck

To think...3 years ago we were complaining when it hit $1.25 :-/

Scrap the ethanol idea...its time to create something everyone can use :-?

It's just because the oil companies are billionaires and they don't want to do anything different.

+1, there are plenty of alternatives. Look at hydrogen fuel. When I went to Iceland, it was almost the norm, every petrol station had it, many cars ran on it. Here in the UK, and in the US, it's hardly available. Why? Because it's also made by the oil companies who want huge profits, and make more selling fuel. Also, the government basically blocks it as it won't generate enough tax income to be worthwhile.
Just wait until fossil fuels run out, suddenly there will be loads of alternatives, and people will think "Where did that come from"

But now its just record high gas prices killing us.  Regular unleaded, watered down, low grade gas just hit $3.95 a gallon this afternoon, diesel is over $4.30 a gallon.  If it was to stay at $3.95, it means roughly $140 in fuel JUST for work this week...over a 3rd of my paycheck Angry

To think...3 years ago we were complaining when it hit $1.25 Undecided

To think.... you are complaining now . I'm not great on my metric/imperial conversions, but with prices here in the UK (and the rest of the EU I think), we're looking at

It's just because the oil companies are billionaires and they don't want to do anything different.

+1, there are plenty of alternatives. Look at hydrogen fuel. When I went to Iceland, it was almost the norm, every petrol station had it, many cars ran on it. Here in the UK, and in the US, it's hardly available. Why? Because it's also made by the oil companies who want huge profits, and make more selling fuel. Also, the government basically blocks it as it won't generate enough tax income to be worthwhile.
Just wait until fossil fuels run out, suddenly there will be loads of alternatives, and people will think "Where did that come from"

[quote]But now its just record high gas prices killing us.

It's just because the oil companies are billionaires and they don't want to do anything different.

+1, there are plenty of alternatives. Look at hydrogen fuel. When I went to Iceland, it was almost the norm, every petrol station had it, many cars ran on it. Here in the UK, and in the US, it's hardly available. Why? Because it's also made by the oil companies who want huge profits, and make more selling fuel. Also, the government basically blocks it as it won't generate enough tax income to be worthwhile.
Just wait until fossil fuels run out, suddenly there will be loads of alternatives, and people will think "Where did that come from"

But now its just record high gas prices killing us.  Regular unleaded, watered down, low grade gas just hit $3.95 a gallon this afternoon, diesel is over $4.30 a gallon.  If it was to stay at $3.95, it means roughly $140 in fuel JUST for work this week...over a 3rd of my paycheck Angry

To think...3 years ago we were complaining when it hit $1.25 Undecided

To think.... you are complaining now . I'm not great on my metric/imperial conversions, but with prices here in the UK (and the rest of the EU I think), we're looking at

Still leaves the "Global Warming" MYTH!!! Natural warming and cooling!!! 8-)

Wasn't this "Global Warming" thing actually part of a 14,000 year cycle caused by the sun? I heard it on a talk show and it sounds very logical.

It is.

[quote]I was only twenty or so years ago that scientists were talking about an impending ice age, so I'm not terribly worried about global warming.