It's a Gas, Man!
As the world seems to be transitioning from gasoline-powered cars to electric cars, the demand for gasoline will begin to drop. But there’s another wholesale shift taking place in the automotive world: zero emissions cars.
Electric cars are considered zero emissions because the cars themselves emit no harmful gasses, even if the powerplants that generate electricity are natural gas-, nuclear- or coal-powered. That part of zero-emissions is conveniently ignored.
In several years or perhaps in the next decade, what do we do if the government limits the availability of gasoline? This month, President Joe Biden further accelerated the nation’s switch to electric vehicles by announcing two proposed federal rule changes aimed at reducing greenhouse gases and other pollutants in motor vehicle emissions. And the European Union has set a ban on new cars with internal combustion engines, beginning in 2035.
What do you do if you’re an environmentally-conscious automotive enthusiast? What do you do if you have an antique car? How do you support the clean air movement in light of all the zero emissions requirements?
Well, Porsche, Audi and other automakers have been working to develop synthetic gasoline.
Believe it or not, ExxonMobil introduced a process in 1975 to manufacture synthetic gas. The process synthesizes methanol into gasoline. Methanol can be created out of carbon dioxide and hydrogen. Hydrogen can be created from water (the H2 in H2O) via electrolysis and carbon dioxide can be extracted from the air. So, imagine a synthetic plant like the one below, a test facility operated by Porsche. It uses a windmill to generate electricity that is used to create hydrogen from water. The hydrogen is combined with carbon dioxide from thin air to create methane that is then converted into gasoline. Totally zero emissions.
Why is Porsche doing this? Well, they sell Porsches! People who buy Porsches buy them for their performance, their sound, the thrill of driving. That thrill doesn’t translate to an electric car. The thrill comes from gasoline!
So, Porsche is doing this for its long-term survival.
Other automakers are developing synthetic fuels as well. Audi has figured out how to create synthetic gasoline from biomass, or plant material, making the fuel carbon-neutral. And, even better, Audi learned how to synthesize diesel fuel from water! Basically, water is heated to 800 degrees Celsius, creating steam. The high temperature breaks the water into oxygen and hydrogen. The hydrogen is combined with CO2 from the atmosphere and, under high heat and pressure, synthesizes to create a liquid they call “blue crude.” The blue crude is refined into what Audi calls e-diesel.
All of this is beyond amazing!
So, if you have an antique or vintage Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche or even a Model T Ford, take heart. You’ll be able to drive your special ride long into the future. Regardless of what Washington does to petroleum.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Despite a voluminous and often fervent literature on "income distribution," the cold fact is that most income is not distributed: It is earned.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~