Cheap Petrol?

[richardthestag]

http://crave.cnet.co.uk/cartech/uk-researchers-invent-artificial-petrol-costing-19p-per-litre-50002478/

Snake oil or do they have a point?

[TimShoubridge]

If they do, I'm sure the oil industry will buy the patent and shelve it along with the hundreds they have done so already. Why would they along with any government want to earn a profit and duty on 19p per litre when £1.30+ per litre will do.

I'm all for it but I think greed would take over.

[DJT]

..........but Cella Energy has several problems to overcome before this is a realistic alternative to today's fuels.

In other words, forget it!

Hope that they can pull it off, but I for one, ain't holding my breath.........

[silverfox]

I think ordinary petrol doesn't cost much more than 19p a litre, the rest is tax, Terry

[singapore stag]

If a litre of unleaded cost 126.9p, it would be split in the following way:

What a rip off!!

[Guest]

If only unleaded were £1.269 /lit

[martin]

You can bet your life that the Chancellor would jump on this in a second, and tax it to hell just to make a point. Martin.

[Ian Durrant]

Actually I think any chancellor would have a problem taxing this too highly (if it can be made to work). Hydrogen as a fuel is carbon neutral and does not create any harmful chemicals when burned. Maybe its not when you consider some energy has to be used to vreate the hydrogen in the first place, but then even electric cars suffer this problem.

We have all seen the amazing advances in battery technology in our mobile phones and modern laptops but this never seems to equate with car technology. Plus batteries will always tak longer to charge than it takes to fill up your petrol tank! Realistically some kind of synthetic "liquid" that can make internal combustion engines clean and sidestep the problem of diminishing oil reserves has a much better chance of making it to the forecourts than anything proposed so far. (all IMHO of course)