From my vantage point, I see people who appear generally open to the idea of using ethanol and people who appear flatly opposed to ethanol and speak negatively about it at every turn.
As of today, I know of no other substance that meets the criteria of:
- Will function in any of the millions of existing and serviceable gasoline-powered vehicles and equipment already in place, with only a modest and quite affortable set of adjustments
- Can be delivered by the existing liquid fuel delivery network of tanker trucks, pipelines, storage facilities, and retail pumps
- Is familiar to the habits and logistics of the millions of people currently driving, they do not need to re-learn how to fuel (let's face it, there are people who hold cell phones like an ice cream cone) - and we don't need to re-assess our ability to drive between cities with quick 5 minute liquid refueling available at convenient intervals
- Is economically reasonable to consider production (not some exotic lab-grown magic sauce costing hundreds per ounce)
- Does not increase pollution vs. gasoline (yeah, I know somebody's going to dispute this fact, but it's going to take some good references before i stop thinking that's stupid)
It is my strong belief that since ethanol appears the only viable bridge away from gasoline while we get other technologies up to speed, we can either criticize it endlessly and make NO PROGRESS WHATSOEVER, or we can embrace it for what it is, help make it happen, and
then optimize it once it has a chance to actually work.
Being very real here: until electric cars can be used realistically on a weekend camping trip, a road trip to the coast, or any of the other countless things that electric cars just plain aren't good for yet - and are as cheap as or cheaper than gasoline cars - they just ain't happening. I know I won't buy any of today's electric cars at any price because they would handicap me. I'm not the only person who feels this way. I'm not opposed to electric cars, they just don't address any of the criteria above and they would put a serious cramp in the lifestyle I choose to live and since I and everyone else vote with our dollars, a technology has to not hinder us or it will simply starve to death because nobody's buying it.
Because I do like progress, and because I don't like wasting things, I see ethanol as a viable way to make progress without wasting all the working machines, pipes, and stations already in service. Anyone opposed to this is going to have to come up with a pretty good argument for me to respect their point of view, even if I respect the person in ever other regard.