a friend pointed me to this disheartening article... any counterpoints?
http://wcco.com/business/finance_story_198164704.html

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1985 MBZ 300DT
1969 MBZ 220d
1984 MBZ 300TDT
1981 VW Vanagon

Been debated at length on almost every alt energy forum I have seen, and even most diesel forums I frequent (I think on here as well).

Short answer to your request for counterpoints is the numbers can be cooked to make them look any way you want them to. While the article brings up points that many pro-alternative studies ignore, it also ignores other points that go against its hypothesis. Like anything else, when you have two sides debating, the "true" answer probably lies somewhere in the middle.

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Keep everything as simple as possible-but no simpler--Albert Einstein

There was an article on this in the local paper. It pretty much said that the study was whacked...When they did some of their figures to determine the total amount of energy spent to make the fuel, they even decided to add in the amount of energy the farmer uses to plant/grow/harvest the crop to be made into fuel. They probably included the energy used to transport the crop from the farm to the plant. I think they also said that one of the researchers was from an oil company. (go figure)

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It is a truism that almost any sect, cult, or religion will legislate its creed into law if it acquires the political power to do so. Robert A. Heinlein


09 Jetta TDI
1985 300D