History | Objectives of Organizing The EXPO | Facts and The Figures of Thailand International Motor Expo
มหกรรมยานยนต์ ครั้งที่ 23
Concept of MOTOR EXPO 2006
Bionic Vehicles…here, there and everywhere
• At last, the day has arrived when car users have to accept the painful fact that the era of cheap oil is over. Likewise, the days of fossil fuel are numbered.
Thus whereas the era of dream fuel such as hydrogen or fuel cells has not yet dawned, practical solutions to cope with the situation of expensive oil price as well as possible shortage of its supply in future, for countries without oil reserve like ours, are to economize its use and seek alternative fuel.
Beginning with benzine, apart from conducting campaigns to reduce its consumption we mix it litre for litre with ethanol or ethyl alcohol derived from agricultural crops and call it gasohol.
Gasohol was first initiated in Thailand in 1985 when His Majesty the King foresaw problems of oil shortage and depressed prices of agricultural products. The King thus began a personal project at Chitralada Palace to produce gasohol by processing sugarcane into ethanol and then mixing it with gasoline. Test runs of the fuel on various vehicles yielded satisfactory results. The Government and oil companies have recently taken up His Majesty’s idea in earnest and the use of gasohol has been expanding widely and rapidly.
The important fact is that as from January 1, 2007 every petrol station in the Kingdom will replace Benzine 95 with Gasohol 95 in accordance with Government policy.
As for diesel, there will be 3 types of biodiesel derived from plants and animal fat, whether pre-used or freshly produced, viz. pure plant oil or animal fat e.g. cocoanut oil, palm oil, pig fat; plant oil or animal fat mixed with diesel for agricultural and industrial machinery; and biodiesel produced through chemical process to retain properties of diesel as much as possible for use in diesel engines of cars.
As in the case of gasohol, the Government is expediting the development and promoting the production of biodiesel by encouraging oil palm tree growing in the South and the East, while setting a biodiesel comsumption target of 8.5 million litres per day by the year 2012.
Which means that within only 5 to 10 years from now, bio fuels both as gasohol and biodiesel will be locally produced for domestic consumption in sufficient quantities, saving several billion Baht of foreign exchange on import of octane enhancing additives and substituting for crude oil and petroleum fuels.
At the same time, it will help Thai farmers to sell their crops at higher prices, benefiting the economy as a whole as well as promoting agro industry—which is the proper and sustainable way to develop the country.
This is how the concept of the “23rd THAILAND INTERNATIONAL MOTOR EXPO”— “Bionic Vehicles…here, there and everywhere” came about. The message to car lovers out there is that although the days of cheap oil will not return, at least in the era of ubiquitous bionic vehicles there will be clean air that we can inhale to fill our lungs. As human beings, perhaps we do not need any more than this.
Bionic Vehicles…here, there and everywhere
• At last, the day has arrived when car users have to accept the painful fact that the era of cheap oil is over. Likewise, the days of fossil fuel are numbered.
Thus whereas the era of dream fuel such as hydrogen or fuel cells has not yet dawned, practical solutions to cope with the situation of expensive oil price as well as possible shortage of its supply in future, for countries without oil reserve like ours, are to economize its use and seek alternative fuel.
Beginning with benzine, apart from conducting campaigns to reduce its consumption we mix it litre for litre with ethanol or ethyl alcohol derived from agricultural crops and call it gasohol.
Gasohol was first initiated in Thailand in 1985 when His Majesty the King foresaw problems of oil shortage and depressed prices of agricultural products. The King thus began a personal project at Chitralada Palace to produce gasohol by processing sugarcane into ethanol and then mixing it with gasoline. Test runs of the fuel on various vehicles yielded satisfactory results. The Government and oil companies have recently taken up His Majesty’s idea in earnest and the use of gasohol has been expanding widely and rapidly.
The important fact is that as from January 1, 2007 every petrol station in the Kingdom will replace Benzine 95 with Gasohol 95 in accordance with Government policy.
As for diesel, there will be 3 types of biodiesel derived from plants and animal fat, whether pre-used or freshly produced, viz. pure plant oil or animal fat e.g. cocoanut oil, palm oil, pig fat; plant oil or animal fat mixed with diesel for agricultural and industrial machinery; and biodiesel produced through chemical process to retain properties of diesel as much as possible for use in diesel engines of cars.
As in the case of gasohol, the Government is expediting the development and promoting the production of biodiesel by encouraging oil palm tree growing in the South and the East, while setting a biodiesel comsumption target of 8.5 million litres per day by the year 2012.
Which means that within only 5 to 10 years from now, bio fuels both as gasohol and biodiesel will be locally produced for domestic consumption in sufficient quantities, saving several billion Baht of foreign exchange on import of octane enhancing additives and substituting for crude oil and petroleum fuels.
At the same time, it will help Thai farmers to sell their crops at higher prices, benefiting the economy as a whole as well as promoting agro industry—which is the proper and sustainable way to develop the country.
This is how the concept of the “23rd THAILAND INTERNATIONAL MOTOR EXPO”— “Bionic Vehicles…here, there and everywhere” came about. The message to car lovers out there is that although the days of cheap oil will not return, at least in the era of ubiquitous bionic vehicles there will be clean air that we can inhale to fill our lungs. As human beings, perhaps we do not need any more than this.
