Why is ethanol not widely used for vehicles all around the world?

Well, it isn't as efficient, it only works in some cars and the USA made a deal with OPEC years ago that said we wouldn't. We promised not to research alternative fuels in exchange for a promise to always keep us fully supplied with oil. So, in order to switch from fossil fuels to alternative sources we would have to find a more efficient fuel, build a lot of new types of cars to use it and fight OPEC and American oil companies every step of the way. Those companies don't want to lose the money they are making and they have a lot of pull in Washington right now. But, buses in China run on natural gas, there are a lot of cars in Australia that use liquid propane and here in the US we have electric and solar cars in the south-west and California and a lot of bio-diesel in Hawaii. So, there are other options out there and people are using them.

A:

Because it takes more energy to PRODUCE ethanol (in the form of diesel fuel in tractors and combines used to grow the corn) than you can get FROM the ethanol. We have to find smarter ways of producing biofuel, that isn't taking the food out of the mouths of the poor.

A:

It takes way too much land to be a real resource. If the US switched to ethanol the amount of land it would take to produce the corn would cover an area the size of the entire northeast down to Ohio assuming that we don't use the fuel to make the corn and we can grow crops all year round and that no natural disasters will occur such as a hailstorm or flood which would devastate the crop.

First answer by Deavaindra. Last edit by Cobber43. Contributor trust: 46 [recommend contributor]. Question popularity: 51 [recommend question]