Yesterday we looked at the technologies that are most likely to be adopted in the near term to improve fuel efficiency.

Here is how much various technologies can improve fuel economy.

Diesel Engine  25% - 30%

Gasoline Direct Injection plus Turbocharging up to 12%

Dual-clutch transmission up to 10%

Cylinder deactivation 7%

Continuously variable valve timing 5%

Stop-start system 5%

5 speed automatic transmissions 3% - 4%

- Automotive News, November 3, 2008

Now, let’s look at the cost of these technologies as projected by the National Highway Transportation Administration (NHTSA).

Here is how much these technologies will add to the price of a car.

Diesel Engine $1,000 - $3,000

Gasoline Direct Injection plus Turbocharging  $122 - $810

Dual-clutch transmission (continuously variable transmission) $100 - $139

Cylinder deactivation $203 - $229

Continuously variable valve timing Cost not available

Stop-start system $1800 - $2,000

5 speed automatic transmissions $76 - $167

Based on the cost versus the fuel mileage gain, it appears that Gasoline Direct Injection plus Turbocharging has the best profile.

Ford Motor Company is introducing a system called EcoBoost that combines gasoline direct injection and turbocharging.  Here is a video (kind of dry) about the system:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hVncFb7GMOs

Here are some videos about what to look for when you are shopping for a new car:

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-20.html

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-8.html

The technology is out there.  If the government (meaning the taxpayers) is going to help the Big 3 (Detroit 3) automakers, we should insist that they bring these and other energy saving technologies to market in the short term.

Energy challenges break into two categories, stationary and mobile. Let’s talk about Mobile Energy Challenges.

This challenge boils down to the problems posed by our use of “liquid fuels”.

The primary Liquid fuels are gasoline, diesel fuel, and compressed natural gas.

Here is a video about the different types of fuel.

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-6.html

The good thing about liquid fuels is that they are easy to transport and relatively easy to distribute (think gas stations on every corner where you can fill up your vehicle’s liquid fuel tank).

Gasoline and diesel fuel are the biggest concerns currently. Oil prices spiked to $147.00 per barrel in mid 2008 before dropping back below $70.00 per barrel as the world’s economies slowed down at the end of the year. The jury is still out as to what caused the spike in prices, but there is no disputing that the $700,000,000,000.00 a year that the United States sends to other countries is an enormous strain on our economy. Think about the outrage generated by the $700 billion Wall Street bailout. We are spending that amount every year on our energy dependence.

Despite the calls of “drill, baby, drill” we can’t drill our way out of this problem. The United States uses 25% the world’s energy and only has 3% of the fossil energy reserves.

Currently, compressed natural gas (CNG) isn’t used very widely as a liquid fuel, but it could be used more widely without completely rebuilding the distribution infrastructure.

Here is T. Boone Pickens talking about his plan to use CNG as a transition fuel:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpQa-ibNOKM

Here is a video about the dual fuel vehicles being sold currently in Brazil:

http://endependence.info/research/videos-c-1-v-101.html

The problems with the liquid fuels are that they are limited in quantity and they generate greenhouse gases. As Pickens says, the real solution is things like electric vehicles and hydrogen powered vehicles. He views CNG as a bridge fuel.

What do we need to do now? In the short term we need to drive much more fuel efficient vehicles, use public transportation and human powered transportation.

As a longer term solution, we need to vote for politicians who will guide us to a renewable energy transportation future and we need to be prepared for the social and economic transition era away from liquid fuels. It isn’t going to be easy, but it has to be done