IS THERE A DIESEL FUEL ALTERNATIVE COMING?

[GILLYS CHILLI FARM AUSTRA]

I often get emails from a Motley Fool investment crowd suggesting that Diesel is shortly to be outdated by some other fuel. Does anyone know what this all about and if true will it make current Diesel tractors obsolete?

 

[MikeInEburg]

Why doesn't Morley Fool elaborate? With the millions of industrial engines and heating systems that use diesel/#2 fuel, I suspect it will be around for decades to come.

 

[tcartwri]

There are all kinds of companies who survive on government grants and starry eyed investors promising new fuel and energy technologies. Yet they never produce a viable product.

 

[jonyyuma]

Diesel engines have run on Soybean oil for many years.. But bean oil is still more expensive...Hence Bio-fuel, using waste oil to stretch the dino product...maybe someone will synthetisize fuel? IE. the old formula for Potatoe gas of ww2??

 

[tcartwri]

If there really was a viable alternative, you as the private investor would never hear about it. It would be backed by the big dogs in a heartbeat with no public offering.

 

[BobRip]

I believe they are referring to natural as. Some companies are making kits to modify diesel engines to run off natural gas. A lot of infrastructure will be needed to compress the gas and make it available
at truck stops. It will not happen overnight and diesel will still be available.

 

[buickanddeere]

With all the new and proven oil reserves. There is 40+ years of oil out there if you can afford it.Then there is coal liquidfication plus reformed natural gas . So fossil fuel is here for another century.

 

[jonyyuma]

??? Natural gas has been a motor fuel for over 40 years here..GM even made special heads and engines just for Nat. gas???

 

[BobRip]

??? Natural gas has been a motor fuel for over 40 years here..GM even made special heads and engines just for Nat. gas???

Yep. The Motley Fool article I read discussed the natural gas engine. I have seen them in Japan and Italy so I don't know why they make such a bid deal of it.

 

[MHarryE]

But CNG and gasoline engines go together. Riding in several of my Italian friend's cars, they could run on gasoline or CNG. I remember one's Ford Fiesta had a switch by the gear shifter that switched between fuels. CNG was in 2 glass wound high pressure tanks behind the rear seat. The original gasoline tank had been replaced by a 20 liter tank. He always ran CNG in Italy but stations aren't prevalent in the rest of Europe therefore the gasoline capability. Switching was seamless - I tried switching fuels while he was driving under various conditions and I couldn't notice any difference. Like most Italians he drove even wilder than I do so I got to try the switchover under full throttle acceleration many times and no difference. The difference came at the station where it cost him less than half per kilometer to use CNG or methane over gasoline.not sure how much of that was tax incentive and how much was actual cost. Tax incentives vary greatly by country in Europe. I owned a diesel because in France diesel was significantly lower in price than diesel. Cross over into Switzerland and diesel owners ay the penalty.