Weekly News Brief

[Lord Mar]

I was browsing trough the newspaper today and saw an article that I thought others would like to read about. So, I've made a topic where we can post any news or fresh releases about the atomotive industry. So, on to business.

In the article it talked about Ford's idea for a capless fuel system. This system involves two spring loaded tabs that will pull back a flap inside the tank neck as the nozzle hits them. When the nozzle is removed, the flap goes back in place, limiting fuel vapor leakage. The capless system is soon to be in place on the entire Ford line. This information can be found in the Fort Worth Star Telegram page 3C.

So, if anybody finds new things coming on in the industry, post them here. Just make sure you also give credit to where you found them. Copyright laws and all.  

[Lord Mar]

With fuel prices skyrocketing, I thought I'd put up some info on a few alternative fuels.

E85... E85 is ethanol, or ethyl alcohol, is high octane, water-free alcohol made from the fermentation of sugar or converted starch. Usually made with corn or wheat, it has lately been blended with gasoline at 5 to 10% concentrations. With the possible rise in E85 use, farmers and crop growers in states and countries all around the world, will be able to make a more profitable and valuable use of their goods. This in turn creates jobs and boost the economy. E85 is a renewable resource and drastically reduces harmful emissions produced by gasoline. I haven't been able to find performance numbers for E85, but I hear that it is just as good as gas.
Found at www.E85.com

Fuel cells... A fuel cell is an electrochemical energy conversion device. It produces electricity from various external quantaties of fuel (on the anode side) and oxidant (on the cathode side). These react in the presence of an electolyte. Generally, the reactants flow in and reaction products flow out while the electrolyte remains in the cell. Fuel cells can operate almost continuously as long as the flows are going. Fuel cells differ from batteries in that cells consume the reactant, which must be replenished. Batteries on the other hand can store electrical energy chemically in a closed system. Also, the electrodes in a battery will react and change as a battery is charged or discharged, a fuel cell's electrodes are catalytic and stay relatively stable.
Found at www.wikipedia.com search fuel cells.

More to come later...