I agree with you re combustion engines. If the whole purpose of biofuels is to allow us to cling onto an 19th century technology, then what’s the point. For aviation though, there will never be a battery powered 747, and the weight of a hydrogen tank makes that look unattractive for aviation as well. With electric powered cars though, you have to be careful that we are not just replacing one inefficient technology with another. An internal combustion engine is about 35% efficient, (tank to wheels) but a coal power burning generating station is also about 35% efficient at converting the energy in coal into electricity. So the ‘well to wheels’ comparison for a gasoline powered car Vs an electric powered car, where the electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, may not be that much better at all. However, once you go electric, you can generate the electricity from a wide variety of sources.

I agree with you re combustion engines. If the whole purpose of biofuels is to allow us to cling onto an 19th century technology, then what’s the point. For aviation though, there will never be a battery powered 747, and the weight of a hydrogen tank makes that look unattractive for aviation as well. With electric powered cars though, you have to be careful that we are not just replacing one inefficient technology with another. An internal combustion engine is about 35% efficient, (tank to wheels) but a coal power burning generating station is also about 35% efficient at converting the energy in coal into electricity. So the ‘well to wheels’ comparison for a gasoline powered car Vs an electric powered car, where the electricity comes from burning fossil fuels, may not be that much better at all. However, once you go electric, you can generate the electricity from a wide variety of sources.