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« Robots, monsters, and a reality sandwich | Main | Bedside protection » Tuesday, May 15, 2007Drink upToyota one of the industry leaders in hybrid technology. Probably the industry leader, given the wow factor provided by the sight of movie stars showing up at the Oscars in a not-even-new Prius. But Japan trails the US and Europe in the use of "green fuels" in automobiles and has the added disadvantage of being entirely dependent on imported crude oil. They're headed for a problem meeting the guidelines of the environmental protocol developed on their own soil. And the White House is now taking some more aggressive steps to curb emissions. Enter a pilot program at a mountain resort town in Japan described in an article in Scientific American. The government project "will produce cheap rice-origin ethanol brew with the help of local farmers who will donate farm waste such as rice hulls to be turned into ethanol." In other words, the cars will essentially be running on sake. Like the rest of Japan. There's a price-point problem that has yet to be worked out, but perhaps the government would be willing to waive some gasoline tax if this heady technology catches hold. Posted by Evan Hughes at 03:21 PM
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