Sailingdog, I think perhaps you should get your facts straight. Please tell me where in South America they are cutting forest to plant corn? Also, they don’t use corn to make ethanol in South America, they use sugarcane, which is much more efficient. Corn is used in the US and is not as efficient, which is why the US subsidizes ethanol. And obviously I’m not suggesting that one can breath the gases from a tailpipe burning ethanol so don’t put silly words in my mouth. My point was that it burns so clean that it gives off no odour. Have you ever seen smoke from an alcohol fire? What is the residue after alcohol evaporates? Furthermore, while it’s not perfect, it is a step toward freedom from oil. It’s not for every country, but it really works for Brazil. Every country will have to find its own solution for its energy needs as we wean ourselves off oil. Finally, I said it was carbon neutral. By this I mean that the carbon given off when alcohol is burned is ‘neutralized’ by the carbon that the sugarcane removes from the air. You’re not adding more carbon the atmosphere like you are when you burn oil. Whether this carbon has an effect on global warming is another issue altogether
I still can’t believe that alcohol is harsher than gasoline for a fiberglass tank. I’m not an expert, but I’d have to see PROOF to believe that alcohol can harm fiberglass. Gasoline can strip paint and dissolve other petroleum products (which resin is as well, by the way). Anyhow, it’s not my area of expertise so I’m open to contrary views, backed up with facts.