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Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

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Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#121

Post by phpisthebest »

tigeroil wrote: post #90
delecti wrote: post #87

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The global energy usage from crypto was in the ballpark of 120-240 TWh/year, but a couple figures repeated the specific 150 TWh/year figure, so I'll use that. The US's annual gasoline consumption is 135 bn gallons (2021 figure). At around 20 mpg (random estimate because I have to pick something), that works out to 2.7 trillion miles. At 30 kWh/100mi (figure from google), that works out 800 TWh if every gas vehicle in…

The main thing your comment highlights for me is how much of a push we need for more sustainable methods of transportation in general. There's always going to be people who will need to drive, but there's a hell of a lot of people who could be perfectly adequately served by strong public transportation.

>>but there's a hell of a lot of people who could be perfectly adequately served by strong public transportation.

Never going to happen for 80-90% of the US. It is neither economically feasible, culturally feasible, or practically feasible for most people in the US.

Work places are too spread out, homes are not located near workplaces, and there is no desire from anyone (my self included) to increase density.

I want less density not more, "walkable" cities only work if people actually want to live in a walkable city. Many many many dont

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#122

Post by themitigating »

kybernetyk wrote: post #74
brk wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the crypto mining dying off should free up a lot of grid resources for EVs. I've heard the "grid can't handle all EVs" statement, but have not seen anything backing up the claim. I believe the grid can in fact handle EVs becoming prevalent. We might need more power generation , which could be new plants, and/or residential solar. Baring some kind of crazy legislation requiring ICE vehicles to be crushed or perman…

In Germany the government asked people not to use electric heaters this winter because the grid could break down. An ev drains way more power then a 2kw space heater.

A Tesla Model 3 charges at the rate of 3~ per hour using about 1.2 kw. Over 12 hours that's about 36 miles each night.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#123

Post by vpribish »

mrtksn wrote: post #35
PaulHoule wrote: post #7

There is no surprise that synthetic fuels work. They worked for the nazis in the 1940s and they still produce them in South Africa, Qatar and other places. In fact in a lot of ways they are better than today’s gasolines because they have a low aromatic and olefin content. The question revolve around affordability and sustainability. Most of the interest was driven by fears we would be running out of oil, now it is dr…

Well, it's kind of obvious that the supplies of oil aren't infinite, isn't it? Is there even a theory that the oil is infinite? The peak oil is about timing and and cost, maybe it didn't happen according to the predictions but it will definitely happen. Besides the environmental concerns it also seems wasteful to burn away the stuff that is used for so many more things. The synthetic stuff is interesting because it m…

oil supplies are so vast that they are practically infinite : we must stop using it because of the emissions. peak oil has always been junk science and clickbait news.

synthetic hydrocarbons as energy storage is interesting, but all about the economics.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#124

Post by megaman821 »

phpisthebest wrote: post #118
megaman821 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it is only 20% more generation, that seems pretty feasible. The widespread usage of air conditioners caused a greater increase in electricity usage than that.

As more and more people switch to Electric Heat (heat pumps i.e AC run backwards) off of NatGas more and more energy companies are pleading with people to turn down their heat in the winter and up in the summer as the grid can not handle it For the first time I can remember, my power company was sending out Texts here in the midwest during that last Arctic blast telling people to use less electricity because the grid…

That is such a misrepresentation. It has nearly nothing to do with heat pumps, it because there is a large amount of electrical resistive heating used in Texas.

Converting natural gas furnaces to heat pumps and replacing resistive heating with heat pumps, would not increase the total electricity usage at all. Last I looked 40% of heating in Texas was done through resistive heating, heat pumps would be 3-4x more efficient. There is current power devoted to resistance heating to run heat pumps for every home.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#125

Post by tmpburning »

pornel wrote: post #65
tmpburning wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> I don't think that this is a very good application for the technology. Compared to lithium batteries, Mazda also have an all-electric car, the Mx-30. (Starting MSRP $33,470)

It's the worst EV on the market. It's only a compliance car, not something they expect anyone to drive. Toyota/Subaru aren't much better. Japanese carmakers seem to hope that BEVs are only a fad.

Why do you think it is the worst on the market?

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#126

Post by PaulHoule »

themitigating wrote: post #117
i_am_proteus wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and: the question revolves around total financial and material capital needed to transition away from fossil fuels. Synthetic fuels are potentially valuable because they allow existing capital assets (internal combustion engines and the industry that produces them, fuel distribution infrastructure) to continue to be used. I am glad to see research into them continue- it's difficult to predict what will scale wel…

Synthetic fuels are potentially valuable because they allow existing capital assets (internal combustion engines and the industry that produces them, fuel distribution infrastructure) to continue to be used. Won't engines have to be modified and reprogrammed?

For alcohol, DME and other single entity fuels you may need to change the engine, but synthetic hydrocarbons really are a drop in replacement.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#127

Post by Oxidation »

themitigating wrote: post #117
i_am_proteus wrote: post #31

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, and: the question revolves around total financial and material capital needed to transition away from fossil fuels. Synthetic fuels are potentially valuable because they allow existing capital assets (internal combustion engines and the industry that produces them, fuel distribution infrastructure) to continue to be used. I am glad to see research into them continue- it's difficult to predict what will scale wel…

Synthetic fuels are potentially valuable because they allow existing capital assets (internal combustion engines and the industry that produces them, fuel distribution infrastructure) to continue to be used. Won't engines have to be modified and reprogrammed?

According to this article: maybe not, since they used an unmodified engine.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#128

Post by ianai »

phpisthebest wrote: post #118
megaman821 wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it is only 20% more generation, that seems pretty feasible. The widespread usage of air conditioners caused a greater increase in electricity usage than that.

As more and more people switch to Electric Heat (heat pumps i.e AC run backwards) off of NatGas more and more energy companies are pleading with people to turn down their heat in the winter and up in the summer as the grid can not handle it For the first time I can remember, my power company was sending out Texts here in the midwest during that last Arctic blast telling people to use less electricity because the grid…

Texas has its own electrical grid separate from the rest of the US.

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#129

Post by ta_907611 »

elif wrote: post #106
dsfyu404ed wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What timeline for CO2 neutrality will satisfy you? The fuel in TFA game from ag-waste. So presumably it's carbon neutral on a ~1-2yr timeline.

CO2 neutrality does not make sense in the context of a timeline. it is a mathematical rate, positive being an increase in the atmospheric reservoir and negative being a decrease in the atmospheric reservoir. No amount of time producing "nearly neutral" increases to the atmospheric reservoir will produce an improvement in runaway existing CO2 feedback loops.

A mathematical rate literally includes a timeline. Common timelines for rates are per second, per hour, and per year. Saying “CO2 neutral per two years” is non-standard but valid.

[edit for clarity]

Re: Mazda has tested a synthetic fuel in an unmodified MX5 on a 1000-mile road trip

#130

Post by phpisthebest »

megaman821 wrote: post #124
phpisthebest wrote: post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As more and more people switch to Electric Heat (heat pumps i.e AC run backwards) off of NatGas more and more energy companies are pleading with people to turn down their heat in the winter and up in the summer as the grid can not handle it For the first time I can remember, my power company was sending out Texts here in the midwest during that last Arctic blast telling people to use less electricity because the grid…

That is such a misrepresentation. It has nearly nothing to do with heat pumps, it because there is a large amount of electrical resistive heating used in Texas. Converting natural gas furnaces to heat pumps and replacing resistive heating with heat pumps, would not increase the total electricity usage at all. Last I looked 40% of heating in Texas was done through resistive heating, heat pumps would be 3-4x more effic…

I was not aware that Texas is in the midwest... I am not sure what Texas has to do with anything here.

That said, no one isreplacing NatGas with Electric Resistive Heating, that would be crazy, NatGas is still cheaper in most cases for people north of say KY but there are alot of HeatPumps going in

I am unclear why you think replacing a NatGas heater with a HeatPump "would not increase the total electricity usage at all" that is just false, and I am not even sure why you would claim other wise, NatGas is not an Electric Fuel Source so when you change from a non-electric fuel source to an electric fuel source you will use more electricity. Now changing from Resistive Electric to heatPump would actually drop your electrical usage in some cases (above 0degrees anyway)

Around here it is not uncommon to have a HeatPump with a Gas "emergency" heater for when it gets too cold for the heatpump, as Electric Resistive is TERRIBLE and expensive. The problem is when that combo is sold normally it is wiht 80% furnances or they just leave the old furnace in place and just upgrade the AC/Heatpumpt

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