Even in the current tough economic climate, Ford seems to be moving from strength to strength, and also being able to innovate along the way. The most recent evidence of all this is in the news that various versions of the company’s new for 2011 pickups will be able to run up to 20% bio-diesel or as flex fuel rides. Recently, Ford announced the alternative fuel capacity of vehicles in their 2011 F-series lineup, which is constantly either the best selling, or second best selling vehicles sold in the U.S. Ford is not only adding a new E85 capable engine, but they will also will offer a diesel engine that is compatible with a B20 biodiesel blend right from the factory.

Until now, many diesel car manufacturers have been hesitant to say the least about letting any bio-d into their tanks. Lots and lots of warranty concerns, and some refiners and bio-diesel providers have been rumored refusing to pump the French fry juice into new VWs and Mercedes.

Looks like Ford won’t be sharing similar concerns … or at least they won’t by the time the 2011 F-Series hit the showrooms.

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I was at the coffee shop this morning and people weren’t talking about the newest Colombian or Brazilian roast. Instead, they were discussing algae as a fuel source. It’s a hot topic, but there’s a ton of misinformation out there about algae. A lot of the data is very technical, and I’m not a scientist, but I’ve done some researched on this topic.

Algae is the flavor of the month right now, so let’s look at the facts about this new thing on the green scene.

ALGAE FACTOIDS
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Biodiesel, which is essentially diesel fuel made from left over French fry juice and the like, has long been the darling of alt-fuel types. It’s never been seen as a total replacement for the petro-diesel put into delivery trucks and the like, but ‘why just throw something away when we could put it to much better use,’ goes the reasoning.

And more than a few people have glommed onto this idea. People like the city of San Francisco, that runs all of it’s diesel vehicles on bio-D, and the EarthRace power boat, that circumnavigated the globe using only “fuel” that would have been thrown away.

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Europe is taking the lead when it comes to being more environmentally responsible with its new cars, working on lower emissions and higher horsepower. Of the American car makers, Ford has been the most proactive in the chase for greener vehicles, with cars like the Ford EcoBoost, which has been the buzz maker since early in 2008. The race to be green is on, and it will be interesting to see who gets to the top of the heap first.

Electric, diesel, biodiesel, hydrogen, natural gas—even restaurant grease. Scientists, engineers, physicists; even chemists are all working overtime to spare the air and find alternative fuels that won’t clog the air and ruin our lungs. There hasn’t been a technological race since the 60’s when we were fighting against the USSR to put a man on the moon!

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