Alternative fuels have been used in vehicles since they were invented in the late 1880s. Henry Ford's first automobile was built to run on ethanol and, when petroleum supplies ran low during World War I and World War II, ethanol was widely used.
Most modern gas engines are capable of running with up to 15 percent ethanol mixed in the gas and ? with minor redesigns ? gas engines could be made to run on concentrations as high as 85 percent. Ethanol has the potential of being a renewable resource since it can easily be extracted from sugar or starch in crops. But there are questions over the true sustainability because its intensive use of land, water, and energy. It also takes land away from production of human food crops, raising food costs and reducing the amount of food that can be grown to accommodate our growing populations.
Biodiesel is a fuel made from vegetable oils, animal fats, or recycled grease. Biodiesel is a safe, renewable fuel that can reduce levels of hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, particulates, and other air toxics. Diesel engine cars can run on a mix of diesel and biodiesel fuels with little or no modifications, but attempting to use 100 percent biodiesel may require some adjustments in order to avoid maintenance problems.
Natural gas is an attractive alternative because it is less expensive than gasoline and emits fewer pollutants; unfortunately, it continues to increase in price and there are concerns over potential supply shortages. Propane, produced as a byproduct of natural gas processing and crude oil refining, is also a popular choice since a substantial infrastructure already exists. Propane has been used in fleet vehicles across the globe for over 60 years.
Hydrogen is expected to play a large role in the future development of alternative transportation fuels. It can be produced either using fossil fuels or renewable resources, and has been successfully used in both internal combustion engines and fuel cells.
Methanol has also been used in gasoline blends of up to 85 percent. However, manufacturers no longer supply methanol-powered vehicles, and a methanol oxygenate used to create cleaner burning fuel ? MTBE ? can contaminate ground water. Despite these factors, methanol is a potential option for providing the hydrogen needed to power fuel cell vehicles.
While common in trucks and buses, diesel engines are less common in U.S. passenger vehicles because of their reputation for being harder to start in cold weather, unreliable, and sooty. However, diesel-powered cars can achieve about 40 percent better mileage and produce only 69 percent of the greenhouse gas emissions than their equivalent gas engines. Diesel engines are already widely used throughout Europe, primarily due to the high cost of gasoline and their energy-efficiency over other gasoline-powered designs.
The downside is that diesel is produced from petroleum and contains high amounts of sulfur. Yet, both emissions standards and preferential taxation strategies in Europe have forced refineries to reduce the overall level of sulfur. In the United States, the EPA is requiring refiners to reduce the amount of sulfur in diesel fuel by 97 percent between 2007 and 2010. In addition, new "clean diesel" technologies are being developed to help reduce emissions from these engines.
Hybrid Electric Batteries Electric battery powered vehicles were once considered to be the most promising new automobile technology, but they faded out of the limelight by the early 21st century. The most serious impediments to consumer acceptability of electric-only cars were the limited range and performance of electric vehicles, together with the lack of infrastructure, and the unsustainable current ? and near term ? battery technologies.
The development of hybrid electric vehicles solved most problems of range and performance by combining an internal combustion engine with an electric motor, which is recharged by the car's generator as a car brakes or coasts downhill. An electric motor is used to start the car and to assist the gas engine during periods of heavy load, such as passing and climbing hills. The electric motor also powers the car during idle periods, thereby increasing fuel efficiency and reducing emissions.
Depending on how it is driven, today's hybrid cars can travel about twice as far as their conventional counterparts on the same amount of gasoline. However, the cars are not without their environmental drawbacks: production and disposal of the significant increase in the number of batteries that would be used pose an environmental risk (just as they do for conventional cars) and the plug-in electric hybrids in development, while reducing the need for petroleum, still rely on power from the grid and a necessary infrastructure. The U.S. Department of Energy projects that by 2030 we will need to increase our electricity generation 30 percent to meet future demand. However, this projection does not include the electricity necessary for a significant increase in plug-in electric automobiles.
Hydrogen Fuel Cells
Fuel cell-powered vehicles are considered to have great potential as the transportation technology of the future. Fuel cells use hydrogen and oxygen to generate electricity, with the only byproducts being heat and water. The electricity is then used to power electric motors and other vehicle systems. Fuel cells themselves have no moving parts and do not involve combustion, resulting in a high level of reliability. Also, as long as there is a constant flow of both hydrogen and oxygen, electricity can continue to be generated.
There is a virtually inexhaustible supply of hydrogen, but it is often found in compounds ? such as water ? which require energy in order to break up. Hydrogen is therefore considered an energy carrier rather than an energy source. The ease with which hydrogen can be produced, and how much energy input is needed in the process, can vary. And, while fuel cells can generate power without emissions, the production of hydrogen from natural gas or other fossil fuels does emit a variety of pollutants.
A number of other challenges must be met before fuel cell technology can truly compete with conventional technologies. Fuel cell design and the use of expensive materials, such as platinum, make fuel cells less cost-effective than other fuel technologies, and the storage and distribution of hydrogen can be problematic since it is highly flammable and requires more space than gas, thereby necessitating compression. Yet, in the most favorable circumstances, questions also remain as to whether the amount of energy released by the burning of a hydrogen-oxygen mixture will be greater or less than the energy required to produce and compress it.
Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data Center In addition to the U.S. Department of Energy's comprehensive background information on fuels, website highlights include the Alternative Fueling Station Locator and a database of state and federal laws and incentives.
About Natural Gas Vehicles Natural Gas Vehicles for America, an industry-based organization, presents basic information on natural gas powered vehicles including an overview of environmental effects, current concerns about supplies, and the relationship between natural gas and fuel cell cars of the future.
How a Diesel Engine Works A complete guide to how diesel engines work, including an animation of the diesel cycle in action and a description of new advances. Related articles attempt to answer common questions, such as ?If diesel engines are more efficient, why do most cars have gasoline engines??
Hybridcars.com Part web journal and part research organization, this website offers information about old and new hybrid technologies and what's going on in the consumer market. Make sure to check out the ?Gas Mileage? page explaining the factors influencing mpg and the calculator comparing mpg and tailpipe emissions for hybrids and their conventional counterparts.
How Fuel Cells Work The Science Now feature from PBS/NOVA describes in laymen's terms how a fuel cell powers a car. Make sure to try out the ?Clickable Car? feature.
LAWS & TREATIES
Incentives and Laws The Hybridcars.com website includes a section on the various incentives and laws related to hybrid engine technologies and driving hybrid vehicles.
FOR THE CLASSROOM
Energy and Cars: What Does the Future Hold? This lesson plan from Discovery School examines alternative energy technologies for automobiles; requiring research on how cars operate, the role of fossil fuels, and the factors that can contribute to consumer acceptance of more fuel-efficient vehicles. [Grades 9-12]
Welcome to Hydrogen & Fuel Cells! The DOE's Hydrogen, Fuel Cells & Infrastructure Technologies Program created a set of classroom materials to introduce students to hydrogen and fuel cell technologies. The curriculum contains an activity guide, classroom presentations and posters, and a computer-based fuel cell animation. [Grades 6-8]