Your driveway could soon become a personal, eco-friendly gas station, thanks to the E-Fuel Microfueler, a giant home ethanol production kit going on sale at the end of the year. Before you dismiss it as a crazy idea, keep in mind that the co-creator's last crazy idea was the motion-sensing technology for Nintendo's Wii.
“To install the microfueler, it's just kind of like a washing machine in your house,” said Tom Quinn of E-Fuel Corp. “You're going to have to hook up power, a water line like your washer would have, and also a water drain, that's it. From there, you pour in the feedstock in the back of the unit which is basically sugar, close the hatch like you would on your washing machine, press one button, walk away.”
“A few days later, you're going to notice the machine will report it has ethanol in it. And over the days that come, it'll build itself up to 35 gallons of ethanol ready to dispense in your vehicle,” continued Quinn. “There's no combustion or flames going on in this unit at all. It uses a filter system to obtain the ethanol, so it's a very safe unit to use at home.”
A new home ethanol production kit could turn your driveway into an eco-friendly gas station. Technology reporter Adam Balkin filed the following report.
Right now, most cars can run on about 50 percent ethanol or the car can be modified to become like Ford's line of Flex vehicles, which accept 100 percent ethanol.
Cars that run on ethanol release far fewer of those harmful gasses that contribute to global warming. Some argue though growing food for cars takes away food from people, which is why E-Fuel says the machine uses sugar instead of corn.
“Sugar is one of the most widely available feedstocks in the world. We had about 11 million metric tons laying around as a surplus last year alone,” said Quinn.
For years, people have talked about alternative fuels, but none have really caught on. Can the microfueler help cure the world's addiction to oil?
“I think there's going to have to be a massive educational effort and also a lot of people are going to have to try it first,” said Glenn Derene of Popular Mechanics Magazine. “What it comes down to is you have to see that this thing works and won't do any damage to the fuel lines in your car or anything like that.”
The Microfueler will cost around $10,000, although with government incentives, developers think customers may pay about half that.
Developers also predict that with carbon credits that would help offset sugar fees, and fuel costs set at less than a dollar a gallon, the microfueler will pay for itself for an average two-car family in about 18 months or less.