We thought that hybrid vehicles we going to be the next best thing for cars and something that will help us to save on gasoline – but it looks as if some people have other ideas that may work better. Solazyme – a biotech firm in California is testing the use of algae fuel to power vehicles of the future. They will be testing their theory on a Mercedes C320 diesel by driving it around the Sundance Film Festival.
Solazyme is taking the brand new Merced-Benz and honoring it as the first vehicle to be trying this new fuel. The company says Soladiesel will work in any diesel engine, in almost any climate. “In demonstrating this new fuel alternative, we’re responding to the need for a near-term solution that will also be cost effective and sustainable,” Harrison Dillon, the company’s president, said in a statement. “Our technology combines all the key components: low carbon footprint, environmental sustainability, certified compatability with existing vehicles and infrastructure and energy security for our country.”
Solazyme hopes to begin mass-producing Soladiesel at a competitive price within three years. That could be a tad optimistic, but Chevron Corp. is sufficiently impressed that it’s joining Solazyme to perfect the technology. “Is it going to be commercial in the next couple of years? I don’t think so,” he said. “There’s a lot of research needed both on the engineering side and the biology side. Remember, if this is going to work, it has to be dirt cheap.”
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