Alternative Fuels - Are They Really The Boon Of The Future?
With the recent gas crisis, the question of alternative fuels has become a hot topic. More and more people are thinking of gas alternatives as a cheaper option to the increasingly expensive gasoline. But the truth is that many people have been talking about the need for new fuels for a number of years. As oil and gas consumption begins to increase on a global scale, we need to find other ways to run our cars. But how effective will these new fuels be?
Enter The Hybrid
Hybrid cars are one of the options that have come into focus - in fact, a number of companies have already put a few of these cars onto the market. These are also known as ‘plug-in’ cars, since they run on electricity. These cars don’t completely run on a battery; instead, the gas-running option is used as a back-up supply. These cars primarily run on an electric motor which can be charged overnight from an ordinary household electric socket. The advantages of these cars are obvious - since the gas is only used as a back-up, fuel consumption reduces drastically. These cars are also much more environmentally friendly.
But they do have their disadvantages too. Perhaps the biggest one is that you can’t take these cars on long trips - taking a cross-country road trip in a plug-in car is out of the question. Apart from that, these cars tend to be more expensive than traditional ones. But this is soon starting to change - as these cars become more popular, companies are looking to make them more affordable. They are also looking into making them capable of covering longer distances.
Losing The Gas
A number of alternative fuels known as biofuels have also made an entrance in recent times. Biodiesel is one such fuel that is an alternative to traditional diesel. It is made from purely biological substances and can easily be used in diesel engines. This is a welcome change from previous diesel alternatives, which used straight or waste vegetable oils. These kinds of alternatives did require the engine to be modified slightly before they could be used.
Without any doubt, the most popular alternative fuel in the market today is something called E85. This is getting a tremendous push from all sides, as people are hoping to end American dependency on foreign oil. Apart from that, E85 is very environmentally friendly. It contains only 15% unleaded gasoline and 85% ethanol. This is hugely beneficial for the USA since it produces a large amount of ethanol from its own biological crops.
Even though these alternatives exist, it will take a while for them to become more efficient and user-friendly. Apart from that, consumers also need to start taking alternative petrol options, more seriously. One of the main reasons why the plug-in cars have had a hard time taking off is because people just haven’t taken it seriously. But depending on a fuel source that is quickly becoming scarce is a serious matter. We have no choice but to look at alternative fuels more and more, to power our cars in the future.