Top Gear magazine of the UK pitted a BMW M3 against a Toyota Prius for fuel economy.

An easy win for the Toyota, right?

Turns not, no, not if the Toyota is driven as fast as possible. If you're trying to get the most performance out of your car, it's better to drive the performance car.

In their test, the Toyota got 17.2 miles per gallon and the BMW 19.4.

So if you want to drive fast, don't buy an economy car. You'll get just as bad economy and have less fun.

The hilarious video is at the link.

Filed under: prius, BMW M3, test, fuel, and economy

Earlier, we mentioned technology that used microbes to convert biological junk like wood chips into an oil-like substance that was both non-polluting and usable in today's gas tanks.

Today we talk about invasive species like Kudzu, that grow like crazy and choke up native plants, and how they can be used as fuels.

Put this all together and tomorrow's fuels of the future look pretty exciting.

Now if we can just get through the present ...

Filed under: biofuels and kutzu

We covered this about a week ago, but this article has more detail on how environmentally friendly biofuels from genetically engineered bacteria will work.

"By swapping natural genes in yeast and bacteria for synthetic ones, scientists have tricked the microbes into producing hydrocarbons—creating, in essence, billions of tiny refineries to turn simple sugars into environmentally friendly diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and biocrude."

This looks like an exciting breakthrough - fuel that works just like gas or diesel in a car, but is non-polluting and based on renewable resources.

We do live in interesting times and sometimes, unlike the Chinese proverb, that's GOOD news.

Filed under: biofuels, diesel, energy, and generic engineering

We're all worried about gas prices, which seem to hit new highs every day. Scientists have discovered how to synthesize fuel using waste biological materials, like grass and wood chips, into usable oil and gas.

It turns out that many biological raw materials are just a few steps away from oil, and the digestive system of microbes can be genetically engineered to turn them into oil.

The biologically generated fuel consumes greenhouse gases, so unlike regular fuels the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere will actually go down.

The images to the left shows some of the lab equipment used to do the conversion on a small-scale, experimental basis.

The cost: About $50 per barrel, or less than half today's prices.

In short, our cars may no longer excrete greenhouse gases in the future, and the fuel on which they run will be much cheaper. So maybe the SUV has a chance for a comeback.

Filed under: oil, biofuels, and bacteria

Tired of seeing gas prices do nothing but rise, day by day?

You can do something about it. It's a bit geeky and complex, but in this video Gavin Shapiro walks you through the process, showing you how the car is converted and how you can run your vehicle on used vegetable oil, normally discarded by restaurants.

Basically, you take the oil, filter the old meat peices out of it, and put it in a special tank. You can then use it directly as a motor fuel, but only after your engine has warmed up, since the oil does not flow properly until it's hot.

The video gives you a good idea of the conversion process and driving experience.

So running your car for virtually $ 0 per mile is possible ... it just takes a little work. Well, as long as you get, or can get a diesel car.

Filed under: veggie oil, vegetable oil, driving, and fuel

If you're like me, you don't particularly like pumping your own gas. It seems like something someone else should do, right?

Well, how about someTHING else?

Meet the Tank Pitstop, an automated robot, developed in the Netherlands, which automatically fills your tank. Click on the link to see it in action.

Filed under: tank pitstop, fuel, and energy

Want to get rid of all that stray CO₂ you're injecting into the atmosphere? Well, why not make lemons out of lemonade? Feed it to algae, have the algae produce biodiesel and we all win.

Perhaps best of all, this is no tiny pilot project - if this works, it goes to full scale almost immediately.

Filed under: biodiesel, energy, fuel, and automotive