Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com Autoblog http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.autoblog.com/media/feedlogo.gif Autoblog http://www.autoblog.com en-us Copyright 2013 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[How this summer's drought might affect your car's gasoline]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/14/how-this-summers-drought-might-affect-your-cars-gasoline/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/14/how-this-summers-drought-might-affect-your-cars-gasoline/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/11/14/how-this-summers-drought-might-affect-your-cars-gasoline/#commentsFiled under: ,

Corn farm

In 2007, then-president George Bush signed a law that required increased production of ethanol. Swelling ethanol demand for fuel combined with this past summer's drought has driven the price of corn (used to make ethanol) up. In fact, prices have swollen some 400 percent in the last seven years. That's comforting for corn growers, who are dealing with much smaller yields than normal. But it's not comforting for livestock producers, poultry farmers and grocery shoppers.

Under the law, the amount of ethanol used in gasoline is supposed to increase to 15.2 billion gallons this year, up from five billion in 2007. The Environmental Protection Agency can decide to delay the increase, however, and it has until Tuesday to consider the circumstances. According to The Detroit News, governors from eight states have asked the EPA to waive the ethanol requirements to prevent corn prices from going any higher. They join almost 200 members of Congress, top United Nations officials, two dozen scientists and scores of poultry farmers in opposing the boost in ethanol production. Governors of poultry-producing states Maryland and Delaware say without a waiver, thousands of jobs could be lost.

On the other side are corn-producing states and the farmers who live there. They argue a waiver would harm their agricultural income and, in turn, harm their state economies.

If a waiver is granted, gas formulations might not be affected at all. E10 gasoline (10-percent ethanol) would still be sold at fuel stations across the nation, but an increase in ethanol production would be delayed. If a waiver is not granted, corn growers will see a demand in their product. And since all that new ethanol has to go somewhere, drivers may see more pumps serving E20 E15 gasoline (20 15-percent ethanol) which cannot be used in pre-2001 vehicles.

How this summer's drought might affect your car's gasoline originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 14 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>corncorn pricese10e15e20e20 gasolineenvironmental protection agencyepaethanolfarmingfuel pricesgas pricesgasolineWed, 14 Nov 2012 18:30:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20380041/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/11/14/how-this-summers-drought-might-affect-your-cars-gasoline/20380041/article-detail.xml 20380041 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/drought-ethanol-gasoline-628_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/11/drought-ethanol-gasoline-628.jpg <![CDATA[Lotus F1 Team reboots with 2012 E20 [w/video]]]>http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/07/lotus-f1-team-reboots-with-2012-e20-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/07/lotus-f1-team-reboots-with-2012-e20-w-video/http://www.autoblog.com/2012/02/07/lotus-f1-team-reboots-with-2012-e20-w-video/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

2012 Lotus E20

What's in a name? That depends who you ask. For the folks at Lotus, a name matters a great deal. That's why it fought so hard to regain control of its brand from the team now known as Caterham, and why it is launching racing programs in top series around the world under that same name. For the F1 team that has most recently adopted it, however, the name is less relevant than the winning form to which it hopes to return.

The outfit has won championships under the Benetton banner with Michael Schumacher behind the wheel, and as Renault with Fernando Alonso driving. Its track record has fallen off considerably since then, but this year it's back with new owners, new drivers and this, its new car.

Wearing the same black and gold livery as the R31 campaigned last year under the transitional Lotus Renault GP handle, the new car bears that same stepped nose employed by most of the teams on the grid so far to make the most of the latest technical regulations. In a nod towards continuity, the car is dubbed the E20 - as the 20th car to be built by the Enstone-based team - rather than starting from scratch with a new nomenclature.

The team's former owners at Renault continue to provide the engine that will power 2007 world champion Kimi Raikkonen in his the long-awaited return to F1 and his junior team-mate Romain Grosjean in his second stab at F1 after dominating the GP2 series, with former HRT race driver Jerome D'Ambrosio joining as test driver. Check out their new ride in the high-res image gallery above and the video after the jump.

Continue reading Lotus F1 Team reboots with 2012 E20 [w/video]

Lotus F1 Team reboots with 2012 E20 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 08:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>2012 lotus e20e20f1formula 1formula onelotuslotus e20lotus f1 teamTue, 07 Feb 2012 08:29:00 EST http://www.autoblog.com/feed/20165484/article-comments.xml http://www.autoblog.com/feed/2012/02/07/lotus-f1-team-reboots-with-2012-e20-w-video/20165484/article-detail.xml 20165484 http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/weblotus-e20_thumbnail.jpg http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2012/02/weblotus-e20.jpg -1 2