Alternative Fuel Comparison
With the threat of global warming looming over our heads, it’s no wonder Americans are scrambling around trying to find alternatives to their non-earth friendly habits. Besides the latest fixation with gas/electric hybrids, talk of alternative fuels is starting to cloud the green-auto discussion forums.
What is an alternative fuel? It’s simple; alternative fuels are fuels derived from sources other than petroleum that aren’t conventional fuels. Some conventional fuels examples include oil and coal. The alternative fuels are created either in the home or from renewable resources and they produced less pollution than the conventional sources.
It’s another great way to drive greener if a hybrid isn’t your thing. Vehicles that rely on alternative fuel sources are often obtainable with tax incentives that are given from the government to drivers who opt to purchase one: just another reason to make the switch.
Here are some of these alternative fuels that floating around out there.
Ethanol
This is probably the most common of the alternative fuels. Ethanol is made through the fermentation and distillation of starchy crops such as sugar cane or corn. There is also cellulosic ethanol that is created from things such as wood, grass, trees and plants. The ethanol used in vehicles is a blend of the alternative fuel and gasoline; some commonly known blends include E10 and E85.
The E10 blend has a 10% ethanol and a 90% gasoline ratio; it is approved by all auto manufacturers and it can be found all over the United States. The other blend is E85, which is compromised of you guessed it, 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Select vehicles called flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) may use this blend and many of these vehicles are already on the market.
Pros:
- In comparison to conventional fueled vehicles, there is little to no change in cost.
- Ethanol decreases our dependence on foreign oil since it can be produced domestically.
- Vehicles that run on an ethanol blend emit fewer air pollutants into the atmosphere.
- There is a reported fewer cases of “engine knocking” in vehicles that rely on ethanol.
Cons:
- There is a limited availability of the ethanol because it is costly to produce.
- All models on the market aren’t FFVs and the use of ethanol is limited to those vehicles.
- Ethanol produces lower energy content than gasoline, which results in lower MPG.
Natural Gas/Propane
This fossil fuel is primarily made up of methane and most go through various processing methods to remove all of the other materials from the gas. It is used to fuel vehicles in the form of compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG).
There are vehicles made to run only on natural gas, but dual-fuel or bi-fuel vehicles can also run on either gasoline or diesel. Vehicles that are made to run exclusively on either of the two fuels can be modified for compressed natural gas usage.
Another similar alternative fuel that can be categorized with natural gas is liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), otherwise known as propane. This clean-burning fossil fuel can be used to power internal combustion engines, but no passenger cars or trucks have been commercially produced in the US since 2004. However, gasoline and diesel based engines can be modified to use LPG.
Pros:
- Natural gases and LPG follows the trend of most alternative fuels and for the most part, it is domestically produced.
- All three are less expensive than using regular gasoline.
- There is an average of 75% less smog-producing impurities and 35% less greenhouse gas discharge than regular gasoline.
Cons:
- Natural gas and LPG also follow the alternative fuel trend of being available to a limited number of models.
- Natural gas and LPG are stored in high-pressure fuel tanks so duel-fuel and bi-fuel vehicles need two separate fueling systems, which occupy more interior car space.
- The availability of these alternative fuels isn’t as great as availability of fuels such as gasoline and diesel.
- Vehicles using CNG, LNG or LPG get fewer miles on one tank of fuel.
Biodiesel
This less widely used alternative fuel source is a form of diesel that is contrived from sources such as animal fat, vegetable oil and various greases. Biodiesel is a safe, biodegradable product and it produces less air pollutants than regular diesel.
Biodiesel comes in different shapes and sizes including its pure form (B100) and blends with petroleum-based diesel. The lowest blends are B2, the numbering meaning 2% biodiesel, and B5; these mixes are safe to use in the majority of vehicles with diesel engines.
Pros:
- Like ethanol, biodiesel fuels are produced within US borders; they make us less reliant on foreign products.
- Biodiesel fuels are non-toxic, safer to handle than petroleum-based products and are biodegradable.
- Diesel engine vehicles are compatible with biodiesel blends and newer models are even better.
- There are fewer greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere when biodiesel is used.
Cons:
- Diesel blends that have above 5% biodiesel content aren’t covered by the engine warranty from automakers; diesel engines aren’t tested to be safe with blends like B20 and B100.
- Also like ethanol, biodiesel fuels offer less power and fuel economy with about a 10% decrease in MPG with the B100 fuel.
- While biodiesel decreases greenhouse gas production, it actually increases nitrogen oxide emissions.
- B100 has an unknown impact on the endurance of an engine isn’t recommended for low temperatures.
- Biodiesel is more expensive than its petroleum counterpart is.
Hydrogen
The newest contender in the list of alternative fuels is good old hydrogen. It can be used to power vehicles in two ways, which include electrochemical conversion in fuel cells and being burned in an internal combustion engine.
With fuel cells, the hydrogen is exposed to oxygen to ignite a reaction that produces both water and electricity; the electricity produced can power an electric traction motor. The other method uses hydrogen the same way gasoline is used to power cars; it is burned in the engine and it produces energy to power the automobile.
Hydrogen hasn’t been taken seriously until recently, so the exact benefits and costs of using it are still foggy. What we do know is that it is produced domestically, produces no greenhouse gases, can increase fuel economy by up to 40%, increase vehicle performance and more!
There are also negative sides to using hydrogen, as with all alternative fuels. Right now, hydrogen is expensive to produce and is available only mostly in California. Vehicles that run on hydrogen are significantly more expensive than conventional vehicles because of the high hydrogen production costs. In addition, hydrogen doesn’t contain as much energy as gasoline so either a car will have less range or the interior space will be severely cramped because of a larger storage tank.
If you want to be friendlier to the Earth, try using one of these fuels as an alternative. Your lungs will thank you!
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