EPA controls auto emissions

[David S]

I'm just wondering how this is different than a fuel efficiency standard. Gasoline contains a fixed amount of carbon per gallon. When you burn it you will get 3.67 lbs of CO2 per pound of carbon. So limiting CO2 will do the same thing as limiting the amount of fuel consumed.

[David S]

Thankfully Florida got rid of those silly emission tests way back in 2000.

Yeah Michigan did too, after forcing gas stations to spend big bucks on test equipment.

[David S]

Angus You dazzled me with your knowledge of chemistry. Sounds like you remember chemistry better than I do.

I think your analysis may be correct but my comment was 3.67 pounds of CO2 per pound of carbon not per gallon of gas. My analysis was much simpler.  C+O2 yields CO2         Atomic wt of C is 12. Molecular weight of CO2 is 12 + 16x2 =44. So the wt of CO2 produced is 44/12 times the weight of carbon burned. That's 3.67.

Also the weight of carbon in a gallon of most grades of gasoline doesn't vary much.

But I'm really talking about the car not the fuel, so the question is what could you do to reduce the amount of CO2 it produces except to reduce the amount of fuel consumed. Its not like Carbon Monoxide which could be eliminated from the exhaust. CO2 is a natural product of burning carbon and you cannot change it.

Well I suppose someone might come up with a carbon sequestration method for cars but I'm not aware of such technology yet.