Algae as a fuel source? Well, why not? There’s enough of the stuff around in ponds, lakes and some rivers.
Two Georgia Tech masters students ” Rachel Valade and Tyler Stevenson ” came up with the plan in their term-paper project titled “Biodiesel from Algae.”
Still, developmental acreage needs to cultivate the stuff might be insurmountable. But, nothing’s easy.
Just another approach of alternative fuels making news, thanks to anxiety over oil volatility and global warming.
Other offerings in recent years are electric or hydrogen fuel cells, corn ethanol, soybeans and peanuts. The big hang-ups are suitable farms and refineries.
These students maintain that because of initial costs and land requirements, the biodiesel price per gallon might be about $5.40. If algae can be grown at a more rapid pace, they say, the price could drop to $2.60.
We admire the quest for alternative fuels but solutions would appear to be a long way away from the pump.
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Meanwhile, hybrids continue to roll off assembly lines.
General Motors confirmed that the Saturn Vue’s new hybrid for 2008 will boost fuel economy 45 percent with its four-speed automatic transmission. It would deliver 29 mpg in the city and 40 on the highway.
The Nissan Altima first rolled off the assembly line in 1992 and the next year earned industry recognition as “best nameplate.” Since then, the Altima’s quality, recognition and popularity have continued to grow.
Now the current Altima joins the growing list of excellent hybrids, while also producing a series of five models, from entry level to high performance.
To punctuate the global value of this automobile, the 2007 Altima received the five-star rating from the national highway traffic safety administration.
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The Smart car is coming to the United States. Already a very common sight in major European cities such as Paris, Barcelona, London or Rome, the Smart car will be available for sale in the U.S. starting in January 2008.
Consumers here didn’t have to wait that long to see and drive the car. Mercedes-Benz of San Diego hosted a Smart road show last month
With its 1-liter, three-cylinder 71-horsepower engine it is expected to get 40 miles per gallon.
Pricing for the base coupe model starts at under $12,000, the upgraded passion coupe starts at under $14,000 and the passion convertible starts at under $17,000.
Mercedes-Benz of San Diego is corporate owned by United Auto Group, Inc., exclusive distributor of the Smart car in this country.
To support the retail launch, Smart USA has initiated a $99 deposit program through which prospects can go online to customize and reserve a car.
The local dealership said more than 300 people have taken advantage of this reservation program.
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A friend of ours e-mailed a few automotive terms that have become outdated and no longer in use.
How about steering knobs, once a stylish if dangerous attachment to a steering wheel.
Then, there were the curb feelers when you didn’t want to muss up those white walls or bumper extenders.
Running boards were great to hop on unless a car was in motion.
They used to call parking brakes an emergency item. In the old days, that lever wasn’t far from the right hand.
And when you worked the accelerator it was taking a foot feed.
That’s a start. Have any more? E-mail me at [email protected] and we’ll add more next month.