Alternative Fuel Vehicles

1. Alternative Fuel Vehicles By: Dalton Cress

2. Types of alternate fuel • Ethanol- produced from corn and other crops and produces less greenhouse gases • Biodiesel-produced from vegetable oils and other animal fats and produces less air pollutants than regular petroleum based diesel • Natural gas- fossil fuel that produces less pollutants and greenhouse gases • Hydrogen-fuel cell vehicles that run on hydropower that produce no emissions

3. Cost of alternative fuel vehicles • Hybrids can cost a couple thousand dollars more than regular vehicles. Even though they still use gas their better fuel economy will help save money in the life of the car • Flex- fuel vehicles are around the same price as regular vehicles and E-85 prices are usually cheaper than gas prices • Diesel vehicles usually cost more than regular gasoline vehicles but can use biodiesel and generally last longer than gas cars. • Propane powered cars are generally more expensive than gas cars but the reduced engine maintenance and better fuel economy can be less expensive in the long run.

4. Biodiesel • Contains 3.2 the times of energy than it takes to produce it • A type of biodiesel called B100 can reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 75% • Safer than petroleum diesel and is non-toxic • Less combustible than petroleum based diesel • Safe to handle, store, and transport

5. Hydrogen • Do not produce any emissions • Only produce h20 • Can be produced from wind, solar, or nuclear energy • Can be combined with natural gas to be used in natural gas vehicles • Has low volumetric energy density which would require a very large tank.

6. Natural gas • Problems arise with fueling and the storage of natural gases • Produce considerably less emissions than gas and diesel fuel • Liquefied natural gas occupies only 1/600 of the space that the vapor form takes up • This allows someone to store more but it must be kept at very cold temperatures • LNG vehicles are only seen with heavy duty vehicles • Compressed natural gas vehicles get about the same mileage as gasoline cars • Compressed gas must be compressed at 3600 pounds per square inch

7. E-85 • Uses 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline • Lower mileage than gas and 27% less energy per gallon • Cos is generally cheaper so the price is usually comparable even though you will get less mileage • The mixture of gas and ethanol allow the ethanol to operate normally in cold weather conditions