Bubbling Crude

by Susan Maple Henry Ford believed that some day he would “grow automobiles from the soil,” and he also believed that they would be fuelled from plants. He achieved his goal. Popular Mechanics featured Ford’s car in its December 1941 issue. Made of hemp, sisal, wheat straw and resin, the car was ten times stronger than steel. There is an old video clip of the car on the Internet. The car drives up, someone pounds it with a hatchet, and then polishes it to demonstrate there is no damage. Three times, from 1800 to 1937, alcohol was either the prominent fuel, or threatened to take over as the main fuel. Heavy “corporate footprints” stepped in and taxed or prohibited alcohol, because anyone could make alcohol […] Read More