EcoJet -- alternative fuel joke
 

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/15546780/

"Old muscle, new conscience at SEMA show
Sense of environmental responsibility at vehicle customization event

By Michael Bettencourt
ForbesAuto
Updated: 5:50 p.m. CT Nov 3, 2006

Even as a celebration of American muscle cars took center stage at this year’s mod-manic Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, an emerging sense of environmental responsibility was also evident.

The most striking example of this was the world debut of the EcoJet concept car (shown above), a one-off collaboration between General Motors and noted speed nut and talk show host Jay Leno. The car, built around a Corvette Z06 aluminum frame, is powered by a 650-hp turbine engine (similar to a helicopter engine) that will rocket the 2,100-pound car off line with 585 pound-feet of torque. The “eco” part of the name comes from the fact that the car will run on biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel derived from renewable resources.

. . ."

For those who criticize Prius owners who fly jets, we have an answer. Those jets can also burn "biodiesel, a clean-burning fuel derived from renewable resources" just like Jay Leno's EcoJet. <GRINS>

Bob Wilson

Re: EcoJet -- alternative fuel joke
 

>>Sense of environmental responsibility at vehicle customization event

Until you realize how much fuel one of those engines drinks. There is no way a large fleet of cars running with a similar powertrain could be sustained using oil from plants from US farms.

Re: EcoJet -- alternative fuel joke
 

Does anyone know what the weight and BTU of BIO is compared to Jet-A? One of the challenges of useing BIO in aircraft is freezing and sludging. We already have a problem of iceing with Jet-A and have to heat the fuel before it is burned. Most engines heat the fuel with the hot oil in a heat exchanger (and cool the oil at the same time). The BIO would probably need more heat then the oil could provide but they could tap off some bleed air to assist in the heating. I think the challenge would be heating the BIO on the ground and in the tanks while in flight. Maybe a mix of BIO and Jet-A would be the answer.....Louis