Thursday, December 1, 2011

More Weird Science

Dr. Robert Zubrin claims most modern vehicles could inexpensively be made methanol-compatible and get reasonable fuel efficiency with a cheaper, and more domestically available fuel - methanol. See his article in National Review Online. He explains:
These results should not be too surprising. Methanol contains about half the energy content of gasoline, but its high octane allows it to be burned more efficiently, and thus obtain two-thirds of the mileage.
Since, according to Zubrin, "methanol averages less than half the price of gasoline," a driver would be money ahead using methanol. I wonder if these claims are true?