
Trucking accounts for one-fourth of the fuel used on U.S. roads - hhs
https://www.axios.com/trucking-accounts-for-one-fourth-of-the-fuel-used-on-us-roads-5f8ef860-8593-4b5b-b521-fcea4d472dd3.html
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jaclaz
Which - provided that the trucks are used to transport/deliver (hopefully)
needed goods, leaves us with three-fourths of fuel used on roads for (likely)
less needed uses.

Seriously, from what I read as experiences here on HN, it is common to have
daily commuting times of more than 1 hour (twice) to "deliver" (and bring back
home) someone (by means of a huge, relatively heavy and gas guzzling 5 or more
seater with only one person aboard) that very likely could have stayed home
(working from there) seems like an easier target.

As it was stated here:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18577934](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18577934)

[https://angel.co/blog/what-startups-really-mean-by-why-
shoul...](https://angel.co/blog/what-startups-really-mean-by-why-should-we-
hire-you)

>The pioneers who are connecting the global human family and removing barriers
of time and space won't take you seriously unless you brunch at the same
restaurants they do.

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pstuart
Electric trucks can't get here fast enough.

~~~
mStreamTeam
I've always been fascinated by biodiesel (using cooking oil to power diesel
engines). I wonder if that would be a good stop gap solution until electric is
viable.

~~~
toomuchtodo
Ends up clear cutting the rainforest to grow more soybeans, and there is
nowhere near enough used vegetable oil for use at scale.

Luckily EVs and high efficiency internal combustion vehicles are driving down
the demand for ethanol in the US and obviating the need to consider biofuels
as a petroleum alternative.

~~~
noneeeed
Depends on the source of course. McDonalds in the UK claim to fuel about half
their fleet of delivery vehicle with the used oil from their own restaurants.

If you get the source right, biofuels are great. But as you say, get it wrong
(e.g. the EU policy of encouraging bioethanol) and it is disastrous for
biodiversity.

I'm surprised we are not doing more with sewage, but I suspect that is to do
with the difficulty of processing such a mixed substance, and the amount of
infrastructure that would have to be changed.

~~~
toomuchtodo
I’m familiar with efforts to use sewage and landfill gas for small scale fleet
fueling needs (local municipality and garbage collection vehicles), I just
don’t think it scales up much beyond that.

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_archon_
In other news, three quarters of the fuel used on US roads are used to ferry
people around.

