CLICK & CLACK : Examining Ethanol

Washington Post
July 2, 2006

Q Dear Tom and Ray:

I've always wondered about ethanol. Seems too good to be true -- you just plant some corn, harvest it, and in no time , you have fuel for your car. So I Googled ethanol on the Web. There are tons of Web sites extolling the benefits of corn-based ethanol as a fuel. Then I found one,http://www.healthandenergy.com, that made the opposite case. The report on this site says that 131,000 BTUs are needed to make one gallon of ethanol, but each gallon of ethanol produces only 77,000 BTUs. That means we're losing 54,000 BTUs for every gallon we produce. Just wondered if you have an opinion. -- Charlie

A TOM: Yes. But, as usual, it's not an informed one.

RAY: From what we can tell, the basic issue is this: When you calculate how much energy it takes to produce a gallon of ethanol, you have to make certain decisions. Everybody agrees that you need to include the energy needed to plant the corn, water it, harvest it and convert the starch to alcohol. But, for instance, do you include the energy needed to manufacture the tractors that plow the fields? Scientists disagree about that.

TOM: They also disagree about the other side of the equation. The guy whose study you refer to, David Pimentel of Cornell University, is well regarded and has been studying this issue for years. He adds up his calculation of the amount of energy needed to grow the corn, subtracts the amount of energy you get from a gallon of ethanol, and gets a negative number.

RAY: But there are other credible researchers, such as David Lorenz and David Morris of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, who take Pimentel's research and say yes, but , a gallon of ethanol isn't the only thing you get from that corn. You also get stuff such as corn oil and gluten feed. So some of the energy that goes into growing the corn has to be assigned to those other byproducts. When they do the numbers, the energy ratio of ethanol comes out positive.

TOM: The answer is not clear. What everybody does agree on is that ethanol made from plants with more cellulose, such as switchgrass or sugar cane, will produce more ethanol per acre than corn will. And that will improve the case for ethanol -- no matter what your starting point.

Dear Tom and Ray:

I picked up a repossessed 2000 Kia Sephia last fall. It's in great shape. The only problem I have with the car is that whenever it gets bitter cold -- which it does a lot where I live, in Montana -- it will not shift from park to drive until it warms up! One cold morning last winter, I sat in the driveway waiting for 10 minutes. Otherwise, it runs great. Can anything be done before next winter to reduce the time it needs to shift in the cold? -- Scott

TOM: There are several possibilities. But the first thing I'd check is the shift interlock.

RAY: Every car these days has a switch that prevents you from shifting out of park unless your foot is on the brake.

TOM: That's to prevent you from stepping on the gas by accident, and then putting the car in gear and accelerating straight into the nearest moose.

RAY: It's possible that the shift interlock is out of adjustment, or the solenoid is being lazy in the extreme cold. If it's the shift interlock, you don't even have to fix it. You have a bypass button that allows you to shift out of park just in case the shift interlock fails. Your owner's manual will tell you where it is and how to use it.

TOM: If using the bypass allows you to move the shifter when it's otherwise stuck, you know the shift interlock is the problem. You can either get it fixed or just keep using the bypass.

Got a question about cars? Write to Click & Clack in care of The Post, or e-mail them by visiting the Car Talk Web site athttp://www.cartalk.com.

2006by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman