Can You Save With These 3 Alternative Fuels?

As the cost of a gallon of gasoline tops four dollars, researchers are scrambling to come up with a viable fuel alternative that’s cheaper and readily available. The research has mostly focused on three types of fuel: Biodiesel, electricity and ethanol.

Biodiesel is produced using vegetable oils and fat from different animals. It can be used in a pure form or blended with other products. The beauty of biodiesel is that it is non toxic, biodegradable and it burns clean. It’s also less combustible and relatively easy to produce domestically and can even be made at home but this is not recommended. If strict guidelines are not followed it could damage an expensive diesel engine. Its safety in handling, storing and transporting makes it an interesting alternative when we consider security and health issues. The U. S. biodiesel industry currently is very small but growing rapidly.

Electricity fuels electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Electric vehicles (EVs) have an electric motor and use electricity which is stored in batteries. Storage capacity and distance are limited. Some have on board chargers and others require a plug-in. These vehicles are small but quiet and have no tail pipe emissions. These cars are mostly used to commute short distances, light hauling, and they don’t go any faster than 35 mph. The batteries of these cars run about 20,000 miles and need replacing on average every four years. Since demand is not strong, no major manufacturer has come up with an entirely electric model yet. Small, independent manufacturers, however, report that demand in steadily increasing.

Ethanol is a renewable fuel made from a variety of plants called biomass. While the US prefer to produce ethanol from corn, other countries such as Brazil use sugar cane. Ethanol and alcohol contain a compound that’s essentially the same. Researchers are focusing their effort on Cellulosic Ethanol Feedstock. This particular type of fuel would be derived from yard waste like wood chips, wheat straw and leaves, forestry waste and paper products. Grasses are now also being grown for ethanol production. A few of the perks would be: Domestic production, low greenhouse emissions, and growth of employment opportunities.

A gallon of pure ethanol contains 34% less energy than a gallon of gas and gets lower gas mileage. It can only be used in flex fuel vehicles but is usually priced cheaper in order to compete with higher priced gasoline.
The U.S. Department of Energy supports these alternative fuels on the basis of higher energy security, and a lower impact on public health and the environment. Research estimates that ethanol and biofuels will potentially cut down the gas demand in the United States by 30% by 2030. And usually, prices go down when demand drops.

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