From: Josef Moellers <mollers.pad@sni.de>
Subject: Re: Why isn't Europe using alternative fuels? (was Re: Running out of oil)
Date: Fri, 21 Aug 1992 11:31:29 GMT
Organization: Siemens Nixdorf Info.Sys. AG, Paderborn, Germany

In <1992Aug18.205315.12087@michael.apple.com> ems@michael.apple.com (E. Michael Smith) writes:

>In article <1992Aug18.203829.11907@michael.apple.com> ems@michael.apple.com (E. Michael Smith) writes:
>>In article <1992Aug18.023813.28004@usenet.ins.cwru.edu> bl713@cleveland.Freenet.Edu (Lev Tarasov) writes:

>>>If all the external costs of fossil usage were included 
>>>in the price, then the economic system would encourage the develop-
>>>ment of alternatives at a more appropriate time. 
>>
>>A minor quible, the alternatives are already 'developed', they just
>>need to be implimented.  You can go out today and buy conversions to 
>>run you vehicle on {electricity, CNG, Propane, Methanol, Ethanol, etc.}
>>off the shelf.  You can add solar heat and electricity to your 
>>house today, off the shelf.  

>This exchange caused me to ponder:  Doesn't Europe already have $4/gallon
>and $6/gallon gasoline (about $1/litre and $1.5/litre) ?  If so, isn't
>it fair to estimate that this reflects higher internalization of 
>externalities?  And if that is so:

The prices are about right, as far as Germany is concerned (but the rate
of the dollar drops so fast, that I'll not be able to hold on to this
statement very much longer B-{)

>Where are the wholesale conversions to alternative fuels?

>If *I* was paying $4/gallon, I'd have put a CNG kit on my car and 
>a propane kit on my truck some time ago.  I'd be looking at that
>$1.50/gallon methanol and blending it at a rate of 20% into my
>gasoline on day one...

>So what's the deal?  Are ALL fuels taxed to the gills, thus distroying
>the incentive to convert?  Are the alternatives unavailable in Europe?
>I know the people there are bright enough and creative enough to 
>make the conversions (They came up with some dillys in the World Wars.
>The French use 'gasogenes' to use charcoal for car fuel.  The Swedes
>used a similar technology to run their cars on wood.  The British had
>these giant gas bags for NG on the bus roofs. etc.)

>So where are the methanol VWs and methanol 'gas' stations on the Autobahn?

I think that's the main reason: There are no "methanol 'gas' stations on
the Autobahn", at least here in Germany. And the Oil companies will do
nothing to introduce them, as long as they can make money from petrol.
And the average car driver will not accept to have to plan his route
according to the loaction of 'gas' stations. That _was_ a problem that
slowed down the introduction of unleaded fuel: That there were not
enough petrol stations especially in the typical German
holiday-countries in the south-east of Europe.

In the Netherlands LPG (Liquified Propane (Petroleum) Gas) is an
alternative, but
- the conversion of the car is quite expensive
- the tank is rather bulky and takes up a lot of space in Your boot
- taxes on LPG-cars are higher
so that this is really attractive only for people that do lots of miles
a year.

The other reason probably is that all forms of fuel (except solar
energy) are taxed so that they are not really a valid alternative. And
the petrol companies still have a good lobby here in Bonn ...
-- 
| Josef Moellers		| c/o Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme AG  |
|  USA: mollers.pad@sni-usa.com	| Abt. STO-XS 113	   | Riemekestrasse   |
| !USA: mollers.pad@sni.de	| Phone: (+49) 5251 835124 | D-4790 Paderborn |
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