Dodge 1800
BRAZILIAN FLEX CAR's HISTORY
(I DROVE A BRAZILIAN FLEX CAR LAST JULY/2006 - SEE BELOW)
The history starts in middle of 70's, when the Brazilian Government was looking for an alternative fuel for totally or partially replacing the country's dependency of petroleum. By that time, Brazil was still under military dictatorship ruling.
The imported cars Brazilians used to see in the streets, were entered in the country via Embassies and Consulates' employees authorized to have cars produced in their native countries. It was very difficult to see a Mercedes driving in the streets.
Brazilian Government stimulated farmers to extensive cultivation of sugar cane providing the sugar cane industry to derive their production to either sugar, hydrated alcohol or dehydrated alcohol, according the market's demand.
Dehydrated alcohol(Ethanol) was already used to replace the tetra-ethyl lead in gasoline (Blue gasoline). Dehydrated alcohol (Methanol) is still in use with this purpose today, even in US.
In the 80's, Brazil had four big transnational passenger cars automobile assembly companies: Ford, General Motors, Volkswagen, Dodge and Fiat.
Mercedes-Benz and Scania(Saab) also operated in Brazil producing diesel trucks. Toyota used to sell an expensive diesel engine jeep.
There were smaller national assembly companies. Most of them produced fiberglass body cars (kind of bugs) using Volkswagen powertrains (Similar to the Wanagon's ones).
In the end of the 70's, the first alcohol engine cars appeared in the retail market. Dodge of Brazil was the first one to launch the Dodge 1800 powered by hydrated alcohool engine. It was not a successful project. For some other reasons the company was sold to Volkswagen of Brazil, and the research was stopped. The Dodge 1800 was almost a copy of the American Dodge Avenger and it had its brother assembled by Dodge of Argentina powered with a 1500cc engine.
The first cars powered with alcohool engines used to have some disadvantages:
1) Emergent technology;
2) Lower mileage per gallon of fuel. An example: - While a gasoline engine car did 9 kilometers per liter (21 miles/gallon), the same powered by gasoline version used to do 7 kilometers per liter (16 miles/gallon) . Those numbers were city ones using the Ford Corcel;
3) Difficulties of starting in the morning. Alcohol cars used to have a small gasoline tank for helping morning starts;
4) Engine fuel part's damage caused by alcohol corrosion (tank, pipes and carburetor);
5) Higher compression rate in alcohol engines causing shorter functional life and earlier maintenance. The regular compression rate for gasoline engine used to be 9:1 while it was 12:1 for alcohol ones.
But they presented some advantages:
1) Better performance. Although alcohol has less concentration of energy than gasoline, it is more explosive. A Ford Corcel II powered by gasoline made 68hp while the powered by alcohol one made 74hp;
2) Cheaper fuel. The sale of alcohol was controlled by Petrobras (Government Agency). The diesel and the alcohol have their prices subsidized by the price of gasoline. The cost of producing alcohol is higher that gasoline, but the need of importing oil is minimized, incentivating internal trade. The diesel is subsidized because it was mostly destinaned for commercial use (Like in trucks and buses) and it minimizes the cost of fuel for business;
3) Lower sales taxes in the price of cars (But not in the fuel);
4) Less air pollution. Alcohol cars produce less carbon monoxide than Gasoline and Diesel ones.
By that time, the less problematic cars were the Ford ones. The most famous were the Ford Corcel II and its station wagon version Ford Belina. They were powered by four cylinder engine, 1400cc or 1600cc. It seems to be a very humble car, but believe me, they were most desirable cars in the market because even in the gasoline version, they presented high fuel economy.
General Motors cars were the second ones in quality, Volkswagen's ones the third ones. Fiat cars were preferred in their gasoline engine version.
With time, the technology got better and some improvements were added to the cars:
1) Nickeled carburetors;
2) Fuel tanks with better internal surface that minimizes the contact of alcohol with metal. Or fuel tanks plastic made;
3) Better rubber and plastic pipes.
4) In the end of 80's the use of fuel injection was brought for gasoline cars. That technology had already been available for diesel engines for a long time.
Today, the assembly companies hardly compete and the quality of the cars almost matches.
Most cars produced in Brazil have only 4 cylinders and at most 2500cc. Cars with 1000cc engines are very common, cheaper and offered with turbo-compressor granting them a better performance.
In 2004 the flex car was launched. It can drive using either 100% alcohol, 100% gasoline or any mix of it. It is possible due to a computer ship that controls the amount of injected fuel based upon the fuel mix rate. Amazing, isn't it?
There is no pure gasoline anymore offered to the retail market in Brazil. Regular gasoline is offered in a mix of gasoline 78/80% and 22/20% of dehydrated alcohol.
In the middle of the 80's, I saw in the news that some US farmers were willing to produce alcohol for their tractors and for personal use. I even saw an American car powered by an imported Brazilian alcohol engine. I think they did not succeed in dealing with the US Govern about extending the technology over US.
Also, in the middle of the 80's the Gurgel company, a small Brazilian assembly one that produced fiberglass cars with Volkswagen powertrain, exported their alcohol cars to Panama. Sugar cane was produced there. "Somebody" did not test the Panama alcohol before, and after having receiving the cars, the Panamanian traders discovered that the concetration of energy in the Panamanian alcohol was different from the Brazilian one and the cars did not work well. Amaral Gurgel got disappointed, but later, the trade with Panama went ahead. The Panamanian traders discovered that those Brazilian alcohol cars worked very well with "Blue Gasoline" (Tetra-Ethyl Lead one) after a little change in the carburetor and because alcohol engine already had higher compression rate. They also presented an excellent fuel economy with "Blue Gasoline".
Sugar cane seems to be the best plant for alcohol production in terms of productivity, because more trees can grow per land square foot. Also, because it has high concentration of sucrose. Using corn, the alcohol business's producer spends 1 amount of energy to produces 1.5 amounts of one (Profits of 50%). Using sugar cane the same producer spends 1 amount of energy to produce 8 amounts of one (Profits of 800%).
In terms of sucrose concentration, pineapple is the one that presents the most rate, but the number of trees per area is lower and it implies in a larger cultivation area, therefore less productivity.
United States produces alcohol from corn. And it seems it will go ahead with that policy, because there is a large production in here and also to protect the US farmers. It seems Europe and Asia will be Brazil's best clients in this matter. Today, to import alcohol from Brazil, an US trader must pay ~ US$0.50 of taxes per imported galon.
China has prohibited the use of corn to produce alcohol, because it has chosen to use the land to produce food. European leaders had the same concerned about Brazil. They thought the Amazon would be devastated for making it a big sugar cane farm. But the raining climate of Amazon and its soil are not approriate for it.
In Louisiana State's farmers produces molasses, (Sugar cane made). Maybe in the future, that state will be able to improve its income with creation of plants to produce alcohol. Just a thought!
In Brazil, the use of alcohol is consolidated. Some times the shortage of alcohol happens due a demand of sugar cane in international market increasing its final price. Flex cars will be making their contribution to stabilize the prices of alcohol and gasoline.
New research on biodiesel issues have been brought up by Brazilian scientists. Mamona's oil production is representing a way to minimize the use of the nafta diesel one. Mamona is very adaptable plant It can endure poor soil lands and hot wheater. But it is not happening yet!
The use of Natural Gas in cars is slowly growing in Brazil. But there is the price of losing some trunk space for the gas tank. It's more used by taxcabs, tractors and buses. For them, the kit's cost is compensating. The technology of using natural gas in internal explosion engines is not new. In the ports and warehouses, small cranes (Called in Brazil PILERS) may be powered with natural gas. In Brazil, the technlogy was not open for use in all commercial and family vehicles to keep the gas price cheaper for most Brazilian families that use it to cook. Eletric stoves and ovens are barely seen at Brazilian families' kitchens.
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I DROVE A BRAZILIAN FLEX CAR
Below you can see the pictures of the Volkswagen GOL 1000cc (64hp) that works with both gasoline and ethanol. That one was simple manual five speed model equiped with air-conditioned. I rented it for a week.
In the free-way, using regular gasoline, it can easily make 30 miles/galon even if you are reckless driver. Drivers, without lead in their feet and respecting the throttle, can make it to acchieve 37 miles/galon. And in the city it usually makes around 21 miles/galon.
That car is weak in the first speed but drives normally (Sufficient performance) in the higher ones achieving 80 to 85 miles/hour. There is a faster version equiped with 16V-turbo engine that can produce 109hp.
The price of gasoline in Brazil is higher than in US. A galon of gasoline costs around US$ 4.33 and a galon of ethanol costs around US$ 3.20. Prices in July/2006.
General Motors, Ford, Fiat, Peugeot, Renault and Citroen are also offering their flex cars to the market.
The cheapest model' price is around US$ 11,000.00 (17% sales tax included). More expensive than the cheapest gasoline cars sold in US and offers less accessories than similar cars offer when produced here.
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