In a perfect example of why Cliff’s Notes don’t substitute for reading the whole book, the method by which Paul McCartney’s new luxury hybrid was delivered to him has ruined any environmental gains that might have been made by driving a hybrid in the first place. Indeed… his brand new Lexus LS 600h hybrid was flown to him by cargo plane. Questions of whether or not a 5.0-liter, V-8, 19 mile per gallon luxury behemoth really exemplifies the spirit of a “hybrid” aside, the judgment involved in shipping cars by airplane is enough to cringe at.

Doing some of my own napkin calculations (below) I came up with a fuel efficiency for the 5,966 mile trip from Tokyo to London of 4 mpg. That’s assuming the cargo plane burned 5 gallons of fuel per mile and there were 19 other cars in the plane. I’m not so sure there were 20 cars on that cargo plane, but we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. What this means is that the former Beatle’s new Lexus hybrid got 4 mpg for the first 5,966 miles of it’s life without ever starting up or even getting the chance to enjoy it’s V-8 glory on the open road. What a shame.

To be fair, we’ve all been guilty of this kind of inefficient transportation at some level (think bananas from South America), and Paul McCartney is simply an easy target. In fact, most new cars being bought off the lot will have a large “carbon debt” due to the simple act of manufacturing. This debt, even in the case of a Prius, will take tens of thousands of miles of driving to pay off versus something like a fuel efficient used car. In the end, the lack of wisdom here points out that we can deliver all the great new technology we want, yet without the conscious decision to change our habits we won’t make much headway in improving energy efficiency.

*Editorial Note: Nick Chambers is the newest writer on Gas 2.0: welcome Nick!

Posts Related to Fuel Economy and Carbon Emissions:

• The World’s Most Fuel Efficient Car: 285 MPG, Not A Hybrid
• 2009 Jetta BlueTDI Comes to US This Summer, Sports 60 MPG and Cleaner Emissions
• Clean Diesel Cars Coming to US This Fall: 2008-2010 Timeline
• A Truck That Runs on Coffee Grounds (and How Wood-Gas Powers Cars With Garbage)
• The Cleanest Cars on Earth: Honda Civic GX and Other Natural Gas Vehicles (NGVs)

Ultimately the spy, an employee of C2i International who specialize in ’special risk management’ (otherwise known as industrial espionage) was little match for Plane Stupid, who described him as “more Austin Powers than James Bond”.

Accounts of the episode reveal that Ken Tobias (real name Tobias Kendall), made a number of basic errors, including:

• Wearing expensive designer clothes (which he attempted to disguise by wearing a Palestinian scarf to give some environmental credibility)
• Turning up to meetings consistently early
• Demonstrating an unusual eagerness to reap mayhem on British airport infrastructure by suggesting the grandest and most aggressive schemes
• Allowing information on planned activities to be published almost immediately in the press

Kendall was ultimately outed after Plane Stupid members became suspicious and began feeding their mole with false information, which would reliably come to the attention of the aviation industry and be published in newspapers within days.

Following further identity checks and a direct confrontation in a London restaurant Kendall silently slipped back into the shadows, and is currently refusing all media requests for contact. Kendall is no doubt reconsidering his career in the underworld after what seems to have been a dismal performance.

The mystery still remains as to who hired C2i to infiltrate Plane Stupid, with fingers currently being pointed at British Airways, The British Airport Authority and even the British Government. In the final analysis no one seems to have benefited from the affair, except perhaps for Plane Stupid who are doubtless grateful for the additional publicity.

Further reading: Graham Thompson in The Guardian

It’s the first time a plane powered by a hydrogen cell has left the ground with a pilot at the controls. Boeing said there’s still a lot to do before hydrogen fuel cells will power commercial airliners. As the technology progresses, Boeing says traditional jet fuel will be phased out as renewable sources take its place.

Source

Continental Airlines, Boeing, and GE Aviation have scheduled a biofuel test flight for early 2009, citing the desire to identify sustainable fuel alternatives for the aviation industry. Continental may be the first US carrier to do so and, in the words of president and CEO of GE aviation, is “taking an important step in advancing the use of sustainable biofuels in aviation.”

The three companies are working together to identify a non-food based, second-generation biofuel that won’t significantly impact forests or water resources. No details on the fuel are available, but it will have to be production ready in quantities sufficient to power the test-flight and mix seamlessly with kerosene aviation fuel (Jet-A).

General Electric is playing a supporting role via its 50/50 share in CFM, the company that will provide the biofuel-ready, CFM56-7B engines. Boeing will provide the aircraft, a Next-Generation 737.

Continental is hoping the announcement will underscore their “commitment to environmental responsibility” (their words). In the last 10 years, the company has reduced greenhouse-gas emissions and fuel consumption by 35% by streamlining operations and investing $12 billion in new fuel-efficient aircraft.

Continental won’t be the first to test out alternative fuels, however. Virgin Atlantic has already tested a 20% biofuel blend in their aircraft. For more stories about biofuel uses for aviation, click here.

Related Posts:
Coconut and Babassu Oil Blend Used in First Virgin Atlantic Biofuel Flight
How Biodiesel Fuel-Cells Could Power The Future (And Your Car)
Switchgrass Could Displace 30% of US Petroleum Usage With 94% GHG Reduction

Source: Continental Airlines (Mar. 13, 08): Continental Airlines, Boeing and GE Aviation Announce Plans for Sustainable Biofuels Flight Demonstration

Photo Credit: Boeing

As promised in their earlier news releases, Virgin Atlantic said they would use a sustainable fuel made from feedstock not normally used for food products. Both coconut oil and babassu oil are used in cosmetic products, lip balm and other such applications. The raw materials were harvested from existing, mature plantations in Brazil.

Sir Richard Branson, president of Virgin Atlantic is quoted as saying,

“Today marks a biofuel breakthrough for the whole airline industry, Virgin Atlantic nd its partners have proved that you can find an alternative to
traditional jet fuel and fly a plane on biofuel. This pioneering flight
will enable those of us who are serious about reducing our carbon emissions
to go on developing the fuels of the future, fuels which will power our
aircraft in the years ahead.”

There was wide speculation that an algae-based biofuel would be used in the test, but that, of course, proved false even though Virgin Atlantic hinted strongly at the possibility.

According to Radio Netherlands the Boeing 747 landed at Amsterdam’s Schipol airport after a successful flight.

Engineers will now study results of tests taken during the trip to determine if sustainable biofuels will fit into commercial aviation and lessen CO2 emissions.

Not everyone agrees, however, that biofuels will “fly”, as noted here by  Pem Charnley, contributor to Green Options’ EcoWorldly blog.  His feelings are outlined here, Pies in the Sky.

Source

It was first reported in January that Virgin Atlantic would test flight a Boeing 747 jetliner using a biofuel, without naming the fuel. An algae-derived biofuel was, however, mentioned as a strong possibility for the flight between London Heathrow airport and Amsterdam. The plane will carry a limited flight crew and no passengers.

Next, an official of the UK Department of Transport claimed in a document leaked to Flight International that a 20% mixture of algae biofuel and regular jet fuel will be used in one engine for the test.

The latest comes from a Boeing official who said, in an interveiw with Flight at the Singapore air show, the Virgin Flight will definitely not use algae-derived biofuel in the test. Instead, a first-generation feedstock, such as soy, canola, babassu or palm oil will be the source of the biofuel.

The use of a hydrogenated fuel would, as one expert put it, “be a good demonstration of proof of concept.” He did say, however, that algae will be considered as a fuel source in the future.

Well, whatever they use, it’ll be a first for the commercial aviation industry. An Airbus 380 flew with a gas-to-liquid biofuel a few weeks ago, proving that a biofuel was an option, but in their case it was a fuel derived from fossil deposits.

The test is slated for the end of February, so we’ll know soon what fuel was used in the flight.

Related Posts:
Airbus A380 First to Fly With Alternative Fuel
Chevron Backs Solazyme’s Algae Biodiesel Production Process (+Video)

In January, Virgin announced it would conduct the test flight, and only hinted at the use of an algae-based biofuel for the test. Flight quoted a document verifying the use of the algae biofuel, and indicated there were no fears of a miscue during the flight.

A limited crew will fly the empty 747 from London’s Heathrow Airport to Amsterdam. Following the flight, officials said the aircraft’s fuel system will be completely flushed as a precaution to remove any residual biofuel. The engine being used is said to be due for a major overhaul after the test.

Airbus used a gas to liquid fuel, derived from natural gas, in its flight from Filton, UK to Toulouse, France in mid January.

Developers of algae-based biofuels say they can tweak certain varieties of algae to produce a fuel that would power a jet engine without using it as an additive. Pond scum seems to have gained dignity and appears headed for a real future.

Related Posts:
Airbus A380 First to Fly With Alternative Fuel
Chevron Backs Solazyme’s Algae Biodiesel Production Process (+Video)

Boeing announced in January they would test an alternative fuel in one engine of a 747, but did not disclose what that fuel would be. They did, however, talk a great deal about an algae-derived fuel, without being specific.

Airbus, meanwhile, said it used a liquid fuel processed from gas (Gas to Liquids - GTL), mixed with regular jet fuel in the number one engine. The flight, from Filton, UK to Toulouse, France, took three hours. The plane is powered by four Rolls Royce Trent 900 engines, and said to be the most fuel efficient in the air today.

Boeing, meanwhile had planned their test in late February, as explained in this story: Algae-Based Biofuel to Power Virgin Atlantic 747 Jet?, filed on Jan. 15.

Swiss hotel owner and environmentalist Walter Knutti has become tired of the noise and concerned by unnecessary emissions from military aircraft on training flights from the nearby airbase of Meiringen. Taking action, Knutti has collected enough signatures to force the issue to a popular vote - under the Swiss system of direct democracy voters have a right to challenge parliamentary laws or pass constitutional amendments by collecting a minimum number of signatures to force a ballot.

Under Knutti’s initiative, Swiss voters will decide next month if military jets should be banned from tourism zones.

The move has been criticised by the Swiss Defence Minister Samuel Schmid, who said “If a country cannot guarantee the security of its own airspace, it cannot carry out the duties the law requires.”

Despite being a neutral country with friendly neighbours, the Swiss Air Force plan to increase fighter aircraft operations by over 2,000 flights per year.

Source: Swissinfo

Interestingly, sources were specific that the biofuel used will be from a very sustainable source, but not one that would compete with food or fresh water sources. Algae is mentioned several times in the story.

Certain varieties of algae have been identified as a possible feedstock, which contains a much higher energy content than oilseeds and can be far less demanding on the environment.

The engine to be used in the test, GE’s CF6, will not require any modification for the flight, and the use of biofuel is not expected to have a negative effect on the engine’s performance or range.

The United States Air Force is well on their way to becoming coal-powered. On Monday, the USAF carried out a transcontinental test flight using a 50-50 blend of standard jet fuel and coal-based ’synfuel’.

“The Air Force is taking a leadership role in testing and certifying the use of synthetic fuel in aircraft,” Secretary Wynne said. “We’re working very closely with our Army and Navy colleagues to ensure that this fuel is capable of operating in all of our aircraft. This is especially important because JP-8 military jet fuel is commonly used in the battlefield by the Army and Marines tactical vehicles and generators, as well as our respective aircraft.”

While synthetic fuel has the capacity to reduce our dependence on foreign oil, it could also double CO2 emissions produced by military flight. At the time of this writing, synfuel is made via Fischer-Tropsch process from either coal or natural gas to produce a somewhat cleaner burning but extremely greenhouse-gas intensive product.

The Air Force may be underscoring a recently hyped green image, but it seems that economic considerations are largely at play here:

The Defense Department is the largest energy consumer in the United States, racking up an energy bill of $13.6 billion last year, up from $10.9 billion the year before. The military services and other components of the defense establishment consume the equivalent of 340,000 barrels of oil a day, or 1.5 percent of total U.S. energy consumption.

The Air Force hopes to certify the 50-50 synfuel blend for all its aircraft within the next 5 years, making them 50% coal-powered by 2011.

Any way that we could just stockpile a few extra barrels of oil instead?

C-17 uses synthetic fuel blend on transcontinental flight (Dec. 18, 2007)
U.S. Military Bases Going Green (Dec. 17, 2007)

Photo Credit

This gaseous mixture of CO, CO2, and H2 is the precursor to making synthetic liquid diesel fuel (synfuel), via another production method known as the 'Fischer Tropsch' process. The reaction uses a catalyst to convert carbon monoxide and hydrogen into hydrocarbon chains, which composes the basic structure of diesel fuel. This is a historically important process: German researchers Franz Fischer and Hans Tropsch developed the reaction in 1923, and it provided Nazi Germany with as much as 124,000 barrels of synthetic diesel per day during WWII (1).

Last month, in an 8-page document plainly titled "Alternative Fuels for Commercial Aircraft", Boeing presented their estimation of the alternative fuel sources that could 'relieve worldwide pressure on crude-oil derived fuels' and drive air travel to carbon neutrality.

The biofuel debate has largely glossed over the 'friendly skies' while high fuel prices continue to take their toll on the industry. No biofuel we have yet can step up to the plate. Ethanol collects water and corrodes the engine and lines while biodiesel freezes up in cold weather (ie: cruising altitude). Don't forget pilots' general resistance to change and a life and death dependency on reliable fuel, and aviation biofuels don't have a leg to stand on.