Fuel Freedom’s 12 most popular posts of 2015
2015 was a busy year. From the world reaching a monumental climate agreement in Paris, to Russia becoming embroiled in the Syrian civil war, to one of the world’s largest automakers being caught cheating on their emission testing, there was no shortage of groundbreaking events. We were busy here at Fuel Freedom too, teaming up with fuel retailers to boost sales of E85, launching our emPOWERing Africa initiative to eliminate energy poverty in developing nations, and working with MIT to publish a paper on the viability of methanol as a transportation fuel, among other things. At the same time, we were also churning out blog posts chronicling the country’s fight for fuel choice. You might not have had time to catch all of our stories, so, without further ado, here are the 12 most popular posts on the Over a Barrel blog in 2015.
1. John Brackett made a Chevy Volt run on E85, and it was easy
The Chevrolet Volt was originally meant to be a flex-fuel vehicle, capable of running on ethanol blends up to E85. So all John Brackett is doing, really, is restoring the car to its original capability.
2. Whatever happened to the Toyota Prius?
Eighteen years ago it was stylish beyond belief, the car that was going to lead us out of the Age of the Internal Combustion Engine and into a green future.
3. 6 new fuel technologies that could be game changers
The world is filled with rapidly advancing technologies, and the transportation fuels sector is no exception. A few more innovations like these, and our oil addiction will be a thing of the past.
4. The hydrogen car finally takes shape
In his State of the Union address on Jan. 28, 2003, President George W. Bush proposed $1.2 billion in research funding so that America “can lead the world in developing clean, hydrogen-powered automobiles.”
5. What caused EV sales to go off a cliff in July?
So, is everybody out there waiting for the spiffy new editions of the Nissan Leaf and Chevy Volt? If EV-makers and proponents are waiting for those holdouts to show up, it could be a very long few months.
6. Cellulosic ethanol has finally arrived
It’s been the Holy Grail of biofuels for decades, a will-o-the-wisp, always promising great things over the horizon. But it finally seems to have arrived. Cellulosic ethanol, capable of recycling crop wastes into fuel, could be ready for prime time.
7. Are EVs too reliable and too quiet?
You never know what problems you’re going to encounter with a new technology. EVs are zero-emissions vehicles. They eliminate gas purchases. Their range is getting better all the time.
8. The solution no one’s talking about in Paris
Negotiators at the United Nations climate conference in Paris appear to be heading toward an agreement that’s expected to be announced Friday.
9. Not just corn: 10 homegrown feedstocks for ethanol
The debate over ethanol often is dominated by corn, our most widely used natural resource for making the fuel. But there are many different “feedstocks” that can be used to produce the alcohol fuel.
10. Finally, an answer to E85’s chicken-and-egg problem
The more people I talk to about fuel choice, the clearer the picture becomes as to why we still lack widely available alternatives.
11. Oil, petrodollars and war. Does the U.S. need to permanently police the Middle East?
The U.S. interest in going to war or supporting war efforts on behalf of our “democratic” allies like Iraq, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Saudi Arabia is not based, as said by some political leaders, on converting those countries to democracies or providing their citizens with increased freedom.
12. PUMP debuts on Netflix, so stream at your leisure
PUMP the Movie is now available on Netflix, giving millions of Americans the chance to watch an important film that shows the patch forward to ending our dependence on oil.
