The manufacturer presents 3 variants of this electric driven car. They are designed on a modular basis to permit flexibility.

The E-Cell makes use of a liquid cooled battery made of lithium ion. This is considered to be a pure electric vehicle and can run for 125 miles without any charging.

Another concept car for release is the E-Cell PLUS which makes use of turbo charge facility. This added feature does not bring in more power to the car but serves the purpose of charging the battery when they are low. The vehicle will run for around 60 miles before tapping into the power of the turbo charge.

The higher end model of the BlueZERO concept is the F-Cell. This car offers 250 miles of travel utilizing the power from the battery and the cell range extender triggered after 60 miles.

Mercedes is riding the technology of lithium-ion battery being built up by Evonik Industries. These battery packs are able to store as much as 35 kW hours and are able to quickly charge to avoid travel delays. The cars are also equipped with a very intelligent system that may interlink with a smart charging station with electronic billing capabilities.

The motor of the E-Cell can output around 136 horse power. This means that the E-Cell can accelerate from 0-60 in just 11 seconds.

Want more Mercedes news? Check out Mercedes News Blog MercedesTalk!

One should know that compared to gas, ethanol is one of the most eco-friendly fuel and is also renewable. Many scientists are of the view that one day ethanol will become the world leader as far as renewable fuel is concerned. The reason behind this is that there are many sources of this fuel, whereas gas and diesel, which are currently used as the primary source of fuel, have a limited stock and are in danger of getting depleted after a few more decades.

Ford has seen this catastrophe that is going to strike the planet and is hence planning to join the race and become the leader by manufacturing about two million vehicles that can run using ethanol. Ford has also tried out other alternative fuels in its car but since ethanol is being viewed worldwide as the alternative fuel of choice and one that can be processed easily and will have no dearth of supply, this is the alternative fuel that Ford is targeting.

One of the reasons diapers are a viable source of conversion to fuel is the fact that they are consistent in substance. Using random garbage generates serious problems as the manufactures do not know what contents are present in any bundle of garbage. Diapers, on the other hand, are made basically the same way and can be collected in segregated disposal bins to carry to the processing plant. This means that the resulting concoction is the same every time creating a stable and consistent mix. And while other materials are incinerated causing deadly or toxic emissions, the diapers will be broken down molecule by molecule in a process called “pyrolysis” preventing any dangerous emissions and creating an alternative car fuel.

Apparently this process is not a theory but reality in Quebec, Canada where a plant is being built by AMEC PLC, the international engineering and project management conglomerate for a client, whose identity has not yet been disclosed, to convert diapers into synthetic diesel fuel.

Diapers are easily obtained through the collection of both infant and adult diapers. A system is already in place which makes collecting the diapers, known as foodstock in the alternative fuel industry, that much more popular as a raw source to convert to biofuels.

In response to this point and also as a way to augment a deteriorating lumber industry, several groups and scientists from Norway are developing processes to turn wood chips into the oil needed to make ethanol. By the year 2010, gasoline and diesel sold in Norway will require close to six percent bio fuels in the mixture. And since there are so many timber farmers, it seems reasonable that wood chips should be used as the raw material for the resulting oil.

But unlike food sources, trees are much more difficult to liquefy. The specific process of turning wood chips from a solid mass to a liquid form is the basis of the present research and development. And the biggest dilemma is creating a substance that resembles fossil fuel oil as closely as possible.

As companies involved in forestry look for new ways to use trees, they are not quick to embrace wood chip ethanol as an answer to making bio fuels because they feel the venture is not profitable. Despite the skepticism, however, Norske Skog signed a contract with the Association of Norwegian Forest Owners and a new bio fuel prototype factory will be ready by 2009-2010 in Follum near Hanefoss.

First and foremost, politically the big players are going to squash any products that have received merit by way of government endorsements. For example, forcing gas companies to include a certain percentage of ethanol in the gas mix was not met in a welcoming manner. Moreover, car manufacturers have a vested interest in gasoline. If alternative car fuels gain a greater hold in the marketplace, carmakers will be forced to modify their equipment and their vehicles.

Second, it appears that humanitarian groups feel that farmers must choose between food and non-food crops. By encouraging energy farms and the planting of crops for the sole use in bio fuels, people are being denied the needed farmlands for food. In essence, people will starve because growing and harvesting foods will not be as popular. Taking the logic one step further, they feel it is immoral to focus on fuels at all when so many people are starving. Both food stocks used for bio fuel and non-food crops are a waste because they are used to propel cars. With all the hunger in the world, why are we even thinking about bio fuels?

Third, the environmentalists themselves have issues with the new crops being planted for creating ethanol. They insist that some of these crops are ruining eco-systems and the long-term environmental damage has not been properly assessed.

It is true that it is impossible to please everyone.

Today, Jarden Home Brands in the US distributes Java-Log “the funky new fireplace item that has quickly become the people’s choice firelog … It offers a wonderful solution to the much detested chemical smell associated with other firelogs”. In addition to the soothing sweet smell, the logs produce fewer emissions than wood, are considered environmentally friendly as they are made from waste coffee beans, and they sound like a real wood fire.

Not only are the logs made from a renewable and sustainable resource, they also help to keep millions of pounds of waste coffee beans out of landfill sites. They are cleaner burning producing less carbon monoxide and less creosote. The three pound logs are said to burn as long as other five pound logs and produce twenty-five percent more energy than wood. Another unique use of the logs is as a gardening application. Once the logs burn up, the ashes can be used to enrich soil for plants.

Rod Sprules from Ottawa, Canada, the inventor and creator of Java-Log has received patents for his product. In 2003, Time Magazine named Java-Log one of the coolest inventions of 2003. They claimed that in comparison testing, it was found that the log lit more quickly and produced taller flames than its regular counterpart.

Although mesquite will probably not be used in a broad sense such as fueling everyday trucks and cars, it can be used to power farm equipment and private fleets. The actual downside to a larger scale use of mesquite fuel is the cost to transport it. And some are not sure that mesquite poses the same problem as chopping down other trees. Once those forests are destroyed, what happens?

But according to researchers, mesquite has a ten year re-growth period, which allows new trees to replenish quickly. Also, in places like Texas where mesquite trees are considered invasive and troublesome due to their long reaching roots and greedy consumption of water, putting the trees to good use seems highly beneficial. In fact, many cattle farmers and ranch owners would welcome the removal of the trees.

Proponents of mesquite based ethanol further contend that allowing mesquite refineries in rural areas where the product is consumed, will provide jobs and economic stability for years to come. In addition, mesquite can be used in power generation plants to convert it to electricity. And it does not add to greenhouse gas emissions like fossil fuels do.

The Alternative Fuels Blog will be talking about these alternative fuels, and we’ll hopefully be able to start in a couple days once we settle in…

Again — welcome!