Gasoline is not going to last forever. There is only a limited supply of oil in the world, and most of it comes from foreign countries. It harms the environment and releases many dangerous gases. These are some of the reasons that we need alternative fuels. Using alternative fuels would lower our dependency on foreign oils, reduce emissions, and be better overall. There are many types of alternative fuels; hydrogen fuel cells, diesel, electric, hybrids, and many, many more.
Hybrids are a very well known type of alternative fuel source. Usually, a hybrid car uses a mix between electric power and gasoline power, but it can be any mix of fuels. When the hybrid car is not moving or moving slowly, it relies on the electric battery. This wastes less gas. The car would need less energy when it is sitting, so the battery can work instead of using gas. When it moves fast, it uses the gas.
Hybrids get more miles per gallon of gas (mpg) than normal cars. They also produce fewer pollutants. They still release the same types of pollutants as gas, but not as much because they do not always use gas. Hybrid cars contribute less carbon dioxide into the environment. Scientists say that carbon dioxide can cause part of global warming.
Many car companies have a hybrid car for sale. They are relatively the same price as a gas powered car. There are no new fuel stations to set up, because hybrids only require gasoline, which is already available anywhere. Hybrids are the best choice today for fuel efficiency. Hybrids can hurt the environment, though. When a hybrid battery is dead, it cannot be reused. Where will al these large dead batteries be put? This would add many unwanted chemicals into the earth when disposed.
Bio-diesel is another well known alternative fuel. Bio-diesel is made from plant and animal waste. Bio-Diesel has a reputation for being a very dirty fuel, but in the past few years, it has been made much cleaner. Bio-diesel cars usually clean exhaust before it is released. The car's exhaust system cleans out soot and nitrogen oxide (NOx). Bio-diesel can also have low sulfur in them, which reduces many pollutants. Sulfur contains many harmful pollutants in it.
A bio-diesel car is almost as clean as a hybrid car. Scientists say that NOx emissions will drop by 4 million tons annually in 2030 if everyone converts. Harmless gases are most of the emissions from these cars.
Many car companies are making bio-diesel cars. These cars are a little more expensive than a gas car, but not by much. Many gas stations already distribute bio-diesel. This is a major advantage and would not cost much to switch to bio-diesel, as other fuels would require a new way of distributing. Bio-diesel is going to be a leader in alternative fuels in a few years.
Ethanol is another current alternative fuel leader. Ethanol is made from corn liquor. It can also be made from trees and grasses. The plant is fermented and distilled to create the alcohol. In many parts of the country, ethanol is already blended in with gasoline, 10% being ethanol. This is called E10. There are many other versions of ethanol and gas. Ethanol would be distributed the same way as gas through existing gas stations.
Using ethanol would reduce many greenhouse gases in the environment, but it does have some problems. It has a low energy content, so you could go faster, but get less fuel efficiency. Ethanol can also be harmful to the environment. People in many poor countries depend on the plants that make ethanol for food. Instead, it would go into fueling cars.
Ethanol is very expensive to produce. It is blended with gasoline in many parts of the country, but we may be paying more than for pure gasoline. Ethanol cars are being produced by many companies. The President is supporting ethanol and is giving money for ethanol research. Currently, pure ethanol is expensive and not very available to customers.
Hydrogen is the fuel for the future. It is made by performing electrolysis. Electrolysis is when water is separated into oxygen and hydrogen. Hydrogen is then captured in its gas form and stored. There are two ways you can use hydrogen. It can be burned in an internal combustion engine or ICE, just like gasoline. This would release some pollutants, because when you burn something, there is always exhaust. You can also use hydrogen in a fuel-cell engine. Oxygen is taken from the air and combined with the hydrogen. This releases energy, and powers the car. There is not much energy in hydrogen, compared to gas. It would not go as fast as a car powered by gas.
Some companies are researching hydrogen and will release cars that use it in the near future. One of the main problems with hydrogen is that there is no infrastructure to supply it. Today we have gas stations to get gas, but we have no hydrogen stations. It would take many years to build this infrastructure across the world. It may be a very good fuel, but it would not be ready to be distributed for another few years.
Hydrogen is probably the most promising alternative fuel, long term. It will be about the same price as gas, but will probably decrease in price when it is produced in mass quantities. Hydrogen releases no pollutants. The only emission is water, clean enough to drink from. This would be renewable and would not hurt the environment unless it was burned.
There are many more types of alternative fuels. Some are very original, creative, and well-thought out. Not all of them would work perfectly, but it is scientist's thoughts on the future of cars. One of these odd fuels is the air car.
The air car is powered by air and air alone. It could constantly refuel itself, even when driving. Air is compressed, which makes energy. Then, the energy is stored until it is needed. You would never need to go to the gas station or charge up your car again. The only emission would be cold, purified air. This would be very good for the environment, because it could potentially help fight against global warming (if most people used it). It would be much cheaper than a gas car. It is also much lighter.
Another novel alternative fuel is solar powered cars. Small batteries use rays from the sun and convert them into energy for the car. You wouldn't have to pay, because the car makes all of the energy. There would not be much power, meaning you would go slower, but it would be very resourceful. There are no emissions or pollutants. One of the main problems with solar cars is that if there is no sun for a few days, you cannot drive. Some cars, however, are designed to store energy, so you could leave it in the sun when it is sunny, to store energy, for driving on cloudy days.
