DOE Promoting Carbon Fiber Thru New $11m Reward
The U.S. Department of Energy is looking toward the future, it seems, by giving out awards totaling over $11 million to two projects aimed at advancing carbon fiber technology through renewable non-food-based feedstocks, like “woody biomass” and agricultural byproducts. Carbon fiber, if you are unaware, can – if applied to the auto transport industry – help to increase fuel efficiency and lower the environmental impact of burning fossil fuels. Biodiesel is another word for it, and it’s something that we here at American Auto Shipping have been talking about for a few years now. According to Green Car Congress, the awards will go to two different research firms, the Southern Research Institute and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, to help them advance the carbon fiber movement and get these technologies into the hands of the people.
This can be big. For years, speculation about carbon fiber and other biomass technologies has abounded, but little has been made in the way of implementing it into standard auto transport trucks. Biofuel has made its way into our standard fuel, with things like E10 and E15 mixes already being implemented for use in standard cars, but this research could potentially have major impacts on the auto transport industry, particularly on customers and how much they pay. Auto transport trucks get anywhere from 7-10 miles per gallon of diesel fuel; that’s not very good fuel economy, and they get even less around big cities where stop and go traffic sees them idling a lot on the open road. Biofuels could help mitigate the costs by providing cleaner-burning, more efficient fuels for their trucks to run on, increasing fuel efficiency while at the same time lowering auto transportation prices for customers.
Right now the largest fixed cost in the industry is fuel. Diesel costs anywhere from $3.80 in the Gulf States to roughly $4.00 on the West Coast for a gallon of diesel. That’s a lot of money. Nationwide averages are right around $3.85 a gallon, which can really put a hole in an auto shippers’ wallet. Lowering fuel costs help to lower auto transport prices, and customers like yourself could start seeing this implemented sometime within the next decade, if we’re lucky. Until then, unfortunately, auto transporters have to run on diesel.
If you’re interested in shipping your vehicle, you can get one direct from us via our online form. Just take a minute or two, fill out the online quote form, and see the price you’ll pay instantly. No hidden fees, no surcharges, just a plain, simple, price to ship your car. We have been in business for over 20 years helping people get their vehicles moved, and we can help you too. You can also contact one of our friendly agents any time toll-free at 800-930-7417. They can answer your questions, give you a quote, book your shipment, and much more. So go ahead and see what American Auto Shipping can do for you.
Since 2007 Dave has written all the content and blogs for American Auto Shipping and during this time added the duties of customer support and transport logistics.
He currently resides in Washington with his three kids and their mom and cat. A fan of Marvel movies and good stories, when not shipping cars Dave can be found working on his novel, enjoying a good book or playing some tournament HALO.
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