Everyday you read about biofuels, biodiesel, and ethanol. And in the same paragraph you see strange acronyms like HEV, PHEV, FFV, EV, and FCV. What is all the buzz about and how does it affect us RVers?
All the buzz is about decreasing out gluttony for increasingly expensive oil, avoiding the political uncertainty of dependence on foreign oil, and cleaning up our air. There are millions of R & D and Venture Capital $$ now being plowed into developing substitutes for vehicles operated by petroleum-based fuels, and mega fortunes will be made for whatever becomes the next big thing–whether it be corn or switchgrass-based ethanol, super batteries, or cooking oil, palm trees, or whipped cream.
Let’s look first at vehicle types. HEVs, or hybrid electric vehicles, have a gasoline engine and electric motor and most of us understand the concept behind the HEV standard bearer, the Toyota Prius. EVs are purely electric vehicles, with no liquid fuel, just batteries, and have the shortest running distance before having to be recharged by plugging into an electrical outlet. A PHEV, or Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, is much like a combination of the HEV and EV, you can run on batteries or the gas engine, then plug it in at night to recharge the batteries. FFVs are flex fuel vehicles that can run their gasoline engine on a variety of fuels, including E85, a blend of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. FCVs are hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that are still a few years off, mainly because of the need for an infrastructure of fueling stations. All rest are being sold now, as well as diesel vehicles that can fun on various types of oil, not just petroleum-based diesel.
What these vehicles represent is the future of transportation, not just in America, but the world.
The 100 year-old internal combustion engine will be but a museum piece when your grandkids have kids. This is what the new vehicle types offer: better fuel mileage, a vast reduction in–and eventual elimination of–petroleum fuels, fewer to no exhaust pollutants, lower (much) greenhouse gas emissions, and cleaner air. And soon you will find them being towed behind motorhomes. And already you are seeing HEVs in truck sizes that can tow trailers and fivers.
The next big thing will be a breakthrough improvement in batteries, even better than the lithium batteries (that are actually bunches of laptop computer batteries) used in the Tesla electric sports car (that’s the car in the picture above), which is all electric, generates 240 horsepower, does 0 – 60 mph in 4 seconds (yes, you saw that right–4 seconds), tops out at 130 mph, and costs a couple of pennies a mile to operate (electric plug-in to recharge batteries), and gets somewhere close to 200 miles between charges. Improved batteries will bring EVs even closer into the range of miles between recharges that we are used to with regular automobiles. So . . . how long does it take to recoup the $92,000 Tesla price and can I tow it? Yippee for electric vehicles. I hope they get here before my electricity runs out.
Next Saturday: A look at vehicle fuels, from batteries to switchgrass.
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JERRY THORNTON
I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1994 (LAST YEAR MADE) TOYOTA MOTORHOME THAT GETS 13MPG AND HIGHER. BEING ONLY 21′ LONG CAN PULL INTO SAME PARKING SPACE AS AUTO AND PRETTY WELL HAS SAME FEATURES AS MY OLD CLASS C AND CLASS A BUT ON A SMALLER SCALE. I KNOW LONGER HAVE TO PULL VEHICLE AND CAR HAULER AND WE CAN GO VISIT THOSE KIDS AND GRANDKIDS AND SLEEP IN THE STREET IN FRONT OF THEIR HOUSE. GAVE UP A LOT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP RV’ING WHEN WE WANT. NEED THE GAS SAVINGS IN ORDER TO FEED MY 56′ HOUSEBOAT……….IT IS NOW ALSO UP FOR SALE IF ANYONE NEEDS A LAKE VEHICLE WITH KING SIZE BED, 2 BATH, 2 CHEV I/O ENGINES, 11KW GEN, ICE MACHINE, 2 REFRIG, ETC ON LAKE MOHAVE, BULLHEAD CITY, AZ. ,SLIP INCLUDED, @$68,000. JUST REDUCED FROM 89m SO WE CAN GO RV’ING. EMAIL [email protected] FOR PHOTOS AND INFO.
FleetMan
Huge oil reserves recently discovered in North Dakota/Montana. Significant oil shale reserves in Utah taken off the table by the Clinton Administration. More than 250 years of coal reserves, much of which can be converted to motor fuel using WW II German technology. There is no shortage of petroleum/motor fuel resources to bridge us over to a hydrogen from sea water fueled economy. There is a lack of political will to do what is possible and necessary to sustain our economy in a profitable and growing manner. The selfish desire for political power at the expense of the people is what is happening.
Bob Difley
Unfortunately, if we all chose to live simply, conserve, not over-extend our finances, and choose to continue using what we have for a while longer rather than replacing with new items–which all sounds like good, sound, advice–the country’s businesses would go belly up as sales dipped. There is no good answer, other than for each of us individually to practice good sense, conservation, and wise use of our personal resources, and hope that it doesn’t catch on and everybody tries it. Boy, would the country be in trouble!
livesimplee
In 2002 my wife and I purchased a 31 ft. gas motorhome with a 6.8 liter V10 engine that averages around 8 mpg. At the time gas was below $2.00 per gallon. Had I thought we would be approaching $4.00 6 years later I may have never made the purchase. Year after year the NADA value of the MH dropped faster than the payoff. We felt like we were stuck. I’m sure others face this same predicament. In 2006 we decided we had 2 options, try and sell the unit and take a loss (estimated at $10,000) and give up our family tradition of enjoying the RV lifestyle or face facts, move forward and pay it off. We chose not to make the same mistake the dinosaur made as he refused to accept change. A year later we paid it off saving ourselves $15,000 in interest. We adopted a “livesimplee” lifestyle and pay as you go mentality. In essence we checked out of the rat race. The RV lifestyle gives us and everyone else the freedom to go when we want, stay wherever we want without reservations and without being governed by the clock.
I don’t know what the future holds for the price of petroleum or when the end of it will come. I do know that our lives are too short to waste on worrying about the inevitable. We will continue to enjoy our RV, accept that which we cannot change and adapt to our ever changing environment with our modest livesimplee lifestyle.
Bob Difley
I personally would welcome a national 55 mph speed limit. The problem is that it would hinder the growth of the economy: gasoline usage would go down cutting into th profits of the large oil companies, deliveries of merchandise would take longer to get to their destinations, and a certain percentage of the population would complain (say the word “voters”) if it took ten minutes longer to get to where they were going.
In my case, my motorhome was getting about 7.25 average mpg prior to my cutting back. I now drive between 55 and 60 mph–seldom over 60–and use my cruise control, avoid fast starts and stops, and slow down in plenty of time by looking ahead and adjusting speed for traffic congestion, off ramps, and stop lights. My mileage has now increased to 8.7 mpg–a 20% increase in fuel mileage!
Bob G Davis
Why is fuel cost so high? Why is Diesel cost higher than gas? This wasn’t the case years ago.
WHY DOESN”T PRESIDENT? BUSH LOWER THE NATIONAL SPEED LIMIT TO 55 MPH LIKE PRESIDENT REAGAN DID. THIS WOULD CONSERVE ENERGY AND LOWER COST.
PLEASE COMMENT!
Lynn Difley
Steve – Get in contact with Mike Steffan (you can find his blogs at http://blog.rv.net/2008/01/21/brake-controls/ (this one on brake controls) and send him the question in the comment section.
Steve Vollmer
Interesting comments from everyone. My question, being new to RVing, is where can I find information on towing a vehicle behind a DP motorhome. I would like to know what vehicles can be towed with all 4 wheels on the ground? Thanks for your help,
Tom Carmody
Both Australia and France are working on compressed air vehicles. “youtube.com” has a very interesting video on cars that runs on air. No need for any fossil fuels or crops for ethanol. And if I understand correctly, the air is filtered and returned to the atmosphere better than when it went into the motor.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=QmqpGZv0YT4
Thank you
PokerDiva
(we have more oil in Co., Wy., and other neer western states than all the Middle eastern Arab countries have all put together. )
Somehow I doubt this comment is true….any proof of it?
(In truth, 85% of your imported crude comes from good old Canada. )
Where can I verify this comment? Interesting.
Loved our Prius…but had to use a tow dolly and found it too tough to deal with my arthritic hands. So we had to go to a 4-wheel on the ground toad.
Thanks for the interesting topic.
Pkunk
I’ve run my pickups on propane for 30 years. It used to be a real price advantage, but these days with the demand for heating fuels high (global warming), propane is going up just like diesel. Everywhere I drive around the western states, I see oil & gas pumping and new drilling. They ain’t going for water.
clark
Bring on the electric cars…I’m ready.
Richard Boak
There is a misconception in the US of A that all of your imported crude oil comes from far off semifriendly deserts. In truth, 85% of your imported crude comes from good old Canada. Cheers eh!
Earl Bailey
if you realy want to know what all the acronyms are all about, it is just another excuse to place additves in the fuels (that they have not proven they are in ther at all). This then gives them their next excuse (with their first excuse being Katrina) to raise fuel prices higher.
Let me tell you we have more oil in Co., Wy., and other neer western states than all the Middle eastern Arab countries have all put together. But the eco-wacko’s (most being left wing democrats) don’t want you to know this and they will supress the news to keep you from hearing about it.
The Gov. mostly those in the White house aloow those idiots to do all of this out of fear, the fear of their ancient religios beleifs the most widely known religion you have heard about is called Global Warming. What? You didn’t know it was a religion?
They want to stop you from traveling they want to stop ypou from burning your camp fires, they want to stop you from enjoying life.
That is what all those idiotic acronyms are all about.