The Green LiterEveryone's going green!

Many of us interested in stretching each liter of fuel as far as it goes would probably consider RVs as the least appealing mode of transportation and living because of the perceived notion that RVs are gas guzzlers. Sure, how could these big behemoths not be guzzling gas with their size and heft. But one trend that has been up-and-coming these past years is the concept of the green RV. It has even been featured on the New York Times.

Suddenly, RVs are not so bad for the ecosystem, after all.

It starts with willpower and willingness to go back to the roots of one’s love for the recreational vehicle–traveling and the outdoors. When you pack your bags and drive off on your RV, you essentially embrace the nomadic lifestyle (whether for good, or temporary is up to you). Isn’t it high time you tried to give back to nature instead of just taking everything for yourself?

RVs usually go eight miles per gallon. But with RVs that use biofuels, solar panels, and hybrid technology, the hope is that mileage is extended, and RVs become more environmentally-friendly. With water-collection technologies and recycling facilities (such as turning used cooking oil into fuel), we may have hope yet for the future!

It doesn’t even involve having to buy a brand new, hybrid RV, which can come at quite a steep price. A lot of innovative individuals are just snapping up used RVs for sale and converting these to become greener–and more valuable.

Remember, going the green mile is not only about looking into the usual green lifestyles. Rather, it’s also about looking into how you can make existing lifestyles greener through various innovative means.

Oil prices are plunging, hopefully back to normal but that doesn’t mean that we should stop finding alternative fuel such as this one being used in Vietnam named Gasohol.

For the record, Gasohol is a combination of Ethanol and Petrol. We can fell a sigh of relief as far as the continued downward trend of the oil price is concerned but you never know when they can go up again. We have seen LPG, Biofuel and other forms of ethanol or alternative fuel that are being introduced in the market and if we are wise, we should keep our options open.

Waiting for another unruly fuel price hike is not exactly the best position we may find ourselves in and if we value our convenience as far as transportation is concerned, then we should do what the Vietnamese people are doing as well.

PV Oil, a PetroVietnam subsidiary, announced on Monday that Gasohol E5 will be provided on a pilot basis in the districts of Dong Da and Cau Giay at VND16,500 ($1) per liter – VND500 and VND1,000 cheaper than A92 and A95 petrol respectively.

Gasohol E5, which is five percent ethanol and 95 percent gasoline, is produced by the PetroVietnam Biofuel Joint Stock Co., an affiliate of PV Oil. This fuel is cost-effective, eco-friendly and safe for engines, PV Oil says.

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Here is a good solution that you may want to look out for if you are hesitant on changing your car with the hybrids and electrical cars that are being offered in the market today. But what if you had the choice to own an engine that can be flexible and run on any type of fuel? Well if you are asking if there is such a thing, yes there is!

It is called an Omnivorous engine, an automobile engine that Wallner and his colleagues have tailored to efficiently run on blends of gasoline, ethanol and butanol.

Now wouldn’t that be something? Imagine no longer worrying about the usual issues of rising oil prices and also finding ways to beat the issues of having to run a car on a limited basis. This can certainly be the best solution one could ever dream of.

Unlike regular automobile engines, which typically run solely on gasoline or, in rare instances, on a blend of gasoline and ethanol, the omnivorous engine would be able to run on any blend of conventional gasoline, ethanol or butanol, another organic alcohol that scientists are beginning to consider as a potential biofuel. Even more significantly, the omnivorous engine would use a suite of sensors to calibrate itself so that it burns available fuel as efficiently as possible.

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In perhaps what is a piece of good news over the last couple of months, countries such as Malaysia, the Philippines and South Korea are contemplating on reducing oil prices soon. This is considering the current oil prices continue to decrease though. In the past weeks, the global price of oil in the market has been falling and this is good news for the world that has to survive in these hard times of high oil prices.

But while that is a great sign, local distributors still have the last say. There are some local oil companies that have been thinking twice about on whether to cut down oil prices since they are still wary of deficits and losses to which they would want to make up for. The thing is, are these claims legitimate enough to hang on to the current oil prices?

Consumers have called for government intervention to make necessary measures in auditing the books of these local oil distributors. Apparently it seems that this is the logical way to go to certify the claims that they are indeed on the red. And while that is the case, don’t expect the consumers to be as understanding.

On the side of developing alternative fuel, they should not stop. Providing alternative source of fuel is something that can still be beneficial regardless if the current oil prices do go down to manageable levels for consumers. Biodiesel and ethanol alternative still pose a good choice for people especially since they are a lot cheaper and may even cost less once regular oil sets its mark to normal.

Malaysia may reduce fuel prices in the weeks ahead if global oil prices continue to fall, a senior finance ministry official said Thursday.

The government hiked petrol prices 41 percent in June to ease the burden of spiralling energy subsidies, but crude oil prices have fallen around 20 dollars from record highs above 147 dollars per barrel hit earlier in July.

The official said “if oil prices remain between 120 dollars a barrel and 125 dollars a barrel for two weeks,” then Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi could announce a cut in fuel costs in the weeks ahead.

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One month after the crude oil prices reached an all-time high per barrel price, we are slowly witnessing the incremental decline in pricing which is something that will surely bring a big sigh of relief to people who are getting worried about the rising cost of gasoline and petroleum products. But while they are eyesores, it remains that no one can remain complacent. This should be seen as a temporary reprieve as another price spike can occur anytime.

The development of hybrid cars, ethanol fuel and biofuel should not stop. Groups which had already started out with them must continue the developing of these alternative fuel products if we are to be prepared the next time that this may happen.

Apparently, there are issues such as compatibility to the car engines we have. Hybrid cars are a great recourse but seriously, you don’t really think everyone can afford one in lieu of their old hand cars. It should be remembered that while these cars are seen as alternatives, they can also be heavy on the pocket. And by this I guess we are all aware that the crisis does not cover oil prices alone. They cover consumer goods and services that we all need in everyday living.

This is what we can consider a chain reaction of sorts. Oil may be categorized towards that of industrial and personal transportation areas. But taken as a whole, they are interrelated. Affecting one part of the economic mix hampers the other and may not recover for some time. So to avoid a sudden burst in the long run, it would be best to be ready. We had already started developing the alternative fuel so we should stick to it and keep it handy. We just never know when another crisis may befall since they occur at times consumers least expect it.

The continuous increase of fuel prices is going crazy. Unlike before, 1 liter of gas could get you anywhere worthy. But these days, you will be surprised at the impact it has. It would not be surprising if you would need 1 liter of gasoline to get you out of your house gate. That is how bad it has become.

With the crude oil market continuing to skyrocket its outrageous prices, who is to blame? Many are pointing to politics while others are pointing towards the lackadaisical consumer who could care less of how to save on gas. Perhaps it has been the common thinking that anyone, as long as they have money, could burn fuel as they wish. Apparently, all that is about to come to an abrupt end and people are now acknowledging hard times ahead.

So how do we go about it? There are alternatives. We have heard of the much celebrated LPG conversion for cars which is approximately half the price of modern day fuel. But it has its fallbacks such as skin and health diseases from leaks. Besides, what makes you so sure that they will not reach the point of scarcity like normal fuel?

Then there are the natural fuel from crops such as algae and fossil fuel. But in their case, how compatible are they with the car engines of vehicles today? And again, how long would they last.

These are the questions that are going around the motorist’s mind. If you satisfy the fuel issue, how about the car maintenance issue? These are things this blog will discuss in detail and hopefully help out the motorists to continue enjoying their daily private car use.