Gas substitutes popping up all across the nation

Gas substitutes popping up all across the nation

 

By Rebecca Fater

Sentinel & Enterprise

 

BOSTON -- Tired of shelling out around $3 for a gallon of gas?

 

Thanks to rising oil prices, the alternatives to gasoline are growing in number, accessibility and popularity across the United States.

 

But which is healthiest for the environment and best for your wallet?

 

Some experts say it's too soon to tell.

 

"We as a society have not yet figured out what is the best solution to solve the problem," said Frank Gorke, energy advocate for Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MassPIRG). "Many of the alternatives are developing quickly, and many are still in development."

 

Ethanol, for example, has been around for some time, mostly in the form of an additive to regular gasoline to reduce ozone-harming emissions into the atmosphere.

 

That's not to be confused with the alternative fuel known as E85, a gasoline blend consisting of 85 percent ethanol.

 

The automobile industry has begun producing so-called "flex-fuel" vehicles that run on E85 - such as General Motors, which has launched its "Live Green, Go Yellow" marketing campaign. About 5 million of the vehicles have been purchased to date, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.

 

Biodiesel is a blend of gasoline and new or used vegetable oils or animal fats. Biodiesel is compatible only in vehicles with diesel engines, which excludes most passenger vehicles on the road today.

 

A bill is moving through the Legislature that would provide $1,000 in sales tax exemptions to consumers who buy hybrid or alternative fuel vehicles, as well as a $2,000 tax deduction for purchasing such vehicles.

 

While tax credits for consumers are good, credits for producers -- which could attract biodiesel and ethanol companies to set up shop in Massachusetts and eliminate shipping costs -- would be better, said Vince Salluzzo, president of New York based Biofuels Services Corp.

 

"The way you get the consumer to change is, you make it available to them," said Salluzzo, whose company aims to help businesses set up and run their own biodiesel productions. New York has established a 15-cent-per-gallon producer credit.

 

"If it's better for the environment and better for your engine, why wouldn't you do it?" he said.

 

But while the state and consumers weigh their options, automobile makers and the government should be working to make the existing products more wallet and environmentally-friendly until alternatives are widely available, Gorke said.

 

"We have to make sure cars go further on a tank of gas while we embrace alternatives," he said. Technology exists to improve mileage, he added, but little has been done to make auto producers use it.

 

"Our demand (for oil) is growing at three times our ability to produce supply," Salluzzo said. "You have a simple matter of economics. These issues are real."

 

Rebecca Fater's e-mail address is rfater@lowellsun.com.