Alternative Fuels

Americans, often noted for their so-called love affair with the car, have recently begun to support alternatives to straight gasoline- and diesel-fueled vehicles. While they have been available for over a decade, both traditional and alternative fuels have seen recent technical advances and innovations that have made them both feasible and affordable. For reasons that include reducing air pollution, the eventual consumption of all fossil fuels, the increasing price of gas, and the dependence on foreign petroleum, alternative fuels and alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) are growing in popularity with not just environmentalists and consumers, but with auto manufacturers and the government, as well.


From 1973 to 1985, vehicle fuel efficiency rose 37 percent. However, with the popularity of less efficient vehicles like SUVs, light trucks, and even minivans, that number has dropped by 5 percent, as these vehicles are not subjected to the same emissions standards. There are also more vehicles on the roads, people are commuting more and longer distances and, in some states, weak laws exist regarding emissions and efficiency standards.

Clean Fuels
In an effort to reduce automobile pollution, alternatives to gasoline and diesel have become available. There is a variety of energy sources, aside from gas and diesel fuels, that are capable of powering cars, including alcohols, natural gas, propane, electricity, grains, trees, and even animal waste. Because of their chemical or physical make-up, these energy sources create less pollution than gas, thus identifying them as "clean fuels."


Clean fuels, generally, emit fewer and less reactive hydrocarbons (which form ozone) than traditional gasoline. Clean fuels also slow the greenhouse effect by emitting less carbon dioxide, which builds up in the atmosphere and contributes to global warming. By producing fuels from natural gas and biomass (plants, animal waste, etc.) instead of petroleum- or coal-based fuels, there is a measurable difference in the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the air.

Ethanol
Two of the most popular clean fuels are ethanol and methanol. Ethanol, which comes from grain alcohol, has been used in combination with gasoline in the U.S. for several decades and is derived from corn and other materials like wood and paper. Providing high performance and low emissions, ethanol is popular around the world. In Brazil, it is the primary automotive fuel. The drawback is that ethanol is costlier than regular gas, although new technology may help to make it more affordable and available.