Gasohol in Thailand

Trip Start May 01, 2002
1
21
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Trip End May 01, 2009


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Flag of Thailand  ,
Saturday, October 7, 2006

In its editorial this morning, the Bangkok Post presents a set of fuel efficiency mathematics for gasohol. It says that gasohol contains 80% of the energy in gasoline but its cost is only 5% less and so consumers who use gasohol actually pay more per kilometer in fuel. I am not sure how gross misinformation of this nature makes it into the editorial page of a major international publication. I had read sometime ago that Thailand's education system was broke and perhaps that is to blame. I present below some gasohol energy mathematics provided free by the US Department of Energy.

The energy content of ethanol is 85,000 BTU/gallon while that for gasoline is 125,000 BTU/gallon. Gasohol consists of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline. If you do the arithmetic you will find that the energy content of gasohol is 121,000 BTU/gallon, about 3% less than that for pure gasoline and not 20% less as claimed in the editorial Gasohol
Gasohol
 . Experiments have verified that the distance efficiency of cars in km/liter is in fact about 3% less for gasohol. At a gasoline price of 26 baht/liter, the price for gasohol would have to be about 80 satang less for motorists to break even on their fuel cost. Currently the price difference is about twice that figure. Therefore, your fuel cost in baht/km will be less, not more, if you use gasohol.

Further evidence that our education system is not producing very high quality graduates may be found in the quality of the editorials. Here is a small sample of odd prose from past editorials.

Iran is not equivalent to North Korea.

Thailand is deeply correctly involved.

In short, it is not only the government to blame.

Let's not make excuses for a heap of corpses ever again.

A thousand people assembled at the police station forcing officials to dissolve the mob.

There is a light groundswell of anti-Asian feeling in America.

In 1712 St Petersburg was full of buildings made in foreign architecture.

Charities that collect donations for murderous attacks are the worst sort of confidence tricks.

Mysterious potholes scatter along the otherwise perfect road.

With this road, you can drive to Soi Dao.

And if you hit an animal that big, imagine what your car, and yourself, would be like.

The deputy governor of Phetchaburi issued a letter denying this talk as hearsay.

The service provided at individual police stations has improved out of sight.

We're killing each other with no end in sight.

No heroin factory has even been suspected in the country.

Approval, at best, might take years.

It is impossible to know whether JI had any intentions beyond causing blood on the streets of Jakarta, assuming the group committed last Thursday's murders, which is reasonable yet uncertain.

Soidog
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