Fuel For Thought
(photos below)

In late 2006, the former Dream Chasers attraction at the Test Track pavilion was replaced by a new exhibit. Fuel For Thought, a display about the use of corn-originated ethanol as a motor fuel, includes a self-directed, brief walk-by attraction. While arguably not a very significant part of this large pavilion, Fuel For Thought is an interesting look at alternative fuel as available today. 

The exhibit includes a stylized automotive chassis turned on its side, with descriptions of how the ethanol-based "Flex Fuel" system works. Additional smaller kiosks offer facts about ethanol and its impact on motoring. 

In the current market, while gasoline has risen sharply in price, and the negative global impact of fossil fuel consumption is more commonly known (helped along by former vice-president Al Gore's recent documentary, An Inconvenient Truth), consumers are beginning to look for alternative energy systems. In addition to the so-called "hybrid" autos which use a combination of internal-combustion and electric motors for propulsion, the idea of using ethanol as a fuel source is also emerging as part of the potential solution to the world's energy needs. Ironically, the idea of building engines which can operate on ethanol-rich fuels is not a new idea. Back around 1990, the Ford company began to offer a Taurus with a specially-designed engine that would work with various combinations of gasoline and ethanol. Dubbed the "variable fuel" system, this vehicle could run on pure gasoline or a combination of gasoline and up to a 90% concentration of ethanol. A dial on the instrument panel displayed to the operator the current ethanol concentration in the tank as determined by a special sensor, and the car's electronic control module (ECM) adjusted the engine's operating parameters (such as spark advance, fuel vapor-to-air ratio, etc.) accordingly. It looks as though the ethanol-as-fuel movement may finally be taking off.

Next time you're in Test Track, be sure to stop by Fuel For Thought to have a closer look and to learn more about this angle in the pursuit of a solution to the energy/environmental crisis.

Several interactive kiosks are set up around the Fuel For Thought display

Unfortunately, folks weren't exactly swarming over this attraction like locusts on a cornfield!

The auto chassis display