Automotive News -- July 26, 2010 - 12:01 am ET
Dave Guilford is enterprise editor of Automotive News.
When you look at the array of fuels that might one day power automobiles, some are no-brainers. And some are pretty iffy.
Because of their ubiquity, relative cheapness and energy density, gasoline and diesel fuel will be around. With major automakers planning electric vehicles, some recharging stations will appear. The outlook for hydrogen and compressed natural gas, at least for now, is unclear.
What might surprise us, though, is biofuel -- a broad term for fuels derived from renewable resources such as plants.
Despite minimal consumer use of corn-based E85 so far, General Motors Co. is doubling down on biofuels. Researcher J. Gary Smyth told a conference this month that ramping up biofuels is "a major opportunity for the future."
Smyth, executive director of GM's North American science labs, said second-generation biofuels will be economical, won't deplete food crops and will lower vehicle emissions of carbon dioxide. Sources will include wood waste, grasses and municipal and industrial wastes.
In the long term, Smyth said, biofuels can compete with gasoline -- without a subsidy. GM is pushing to accelerate commercialization, entering strategic alliances with two startups, Coskata Inc. and Mascoma Corp.
Said Smyth: "We have to figure out how to maximize biomass in our energy policy because I believe it has a huge potential."
Obviously, it's not GM's only bet -- witness the Chevrolet Volt, in particular. But GM has some chips down on biofuels.
