How Long Before the Shift To Alternative Fuels Is Feasible?

Alternative Fuel is technology is being developed at a fast rate but how many years will it be before we are all able to benefit and what will be the extent of the damage to our environment, Hybrid cars have come a long way and are now in mas production but will it be too late for the environment by the time all of us are able to own one,

The term “alternative fuel” these days has such a green ring to it, almost a green halo. And this is well-deserved too. It’s just that the term Alternative Fuel not long ago, meant something dangerous and harmful: closer to nuclear power than a car driven by Solar Power or ethanol. There’s been quite a drumbeat for clean power sources for our vehicles for some time now. With the “Drill Baby, Drill!”  administration out and a more middle-of-the-road government in,  the newspapers and news channels are more outspoken than ever before today stressing the need to do something drastic to reverse the environmental catastrophe that is foreseen.

The automobile industry is on the verge of a revolution. By now, virtually  all scientists agree that we are on the brink of a global climate crisis, regardless of if it is something we caused or not. Either way, they agree, that there are things that need to be done about it, and one of them is to produce and invent more alternative fuel vehicles. Besides the environmental imperative, there is also the issue of cost. Gasoline prices fluctuate rapidly and often times get quite expensive. Alternative fuel vehicles avoid such high costs. Furthermore, reducing the American dependency on foreign oil for gasoline would go a long way in helping this country reduce its massive deficit. There are several alternative fuel vehicles out there, and here is a short overview of these alternative fuel vehicles.

Even conservative commentators like the New York Times’ Thomas Friedman fear now how every other country in the world is going to overtake America with inventing and establishing a lock on all kinds of alternative fuel of the future. Spain has the world’s largest Solar Panel array in place; Germany has the world’s largest manufacturing capacity for it; China is pumping all its might into inventing and patenting alternative fuel technologies for the future; conservative thinkers are wondering why the US meanwhile, is still stuck on drilling in the Arctic and dreaming about oil sands and establishing close friendships with dictatorships in the Third World for their oil.

It’s not that there are no profits to be made in shifting to alternative fuel, because there are. Vested interests held by large energy corporations now could be one answer why nothing seems to be happenning: they do not want anyone reshuffling the stack that they hold the top card in. Ordinary Americans meanwhile, are completely willing and see the point today. Almost 90% of all Americans, Republicans, Democrats or independents totally agree that it is about time we quit our gas habit. They have to agree; most of the city buses in New York for example, run on Natural Gas; most school buses around the country run on propane; the corn lobby in the Midwest can’t wait to get ethanol into the mainstream; there is proof that it all works, and it is only a matter of time now.

So is the government actually doing nothing for alternative fuel use? Actually that’s not really true, and as usual California leads the country in this area. The mayor of Los Angeles has made it known that in 10 years, the city will no longer accept electrical power is generated using dirty means such as coal. Alaska has long been a sticking point in the debate:

Alaska is the second largest oil-producing state in the nation and this Republican state has long hated any talk of alternative fuel that could harm their oil economy. But the state’s oil more and more, is being sent to other parts of the union, and locals are having to pay very high energy bills of late. All of a sudden, Windmills are dotting the state’s urban landscape quite a bit, as residents begin to look for ways to cut their energy costs. When a true Red Republican like the state’s Governor Sarah Palin begins to make statements in support of turning completely in favor of alternative fuels by 2025, things begin to change, things begin to move.And therein lies hope.
The most commonly heard of all of the alternative fuel vehicles is called a hybrid car. But what is a hybrid car, really? Most people still need a (smaller) tank of gasoline so how is this different than other cars? While you still have the internal combustion engine, you also have an electric motor. Your car will use the electric motor as much as possible, using the Gas Engine for only high speeds and as a “plan B”. This is a great way to significantly reduce the amount of gasoline you use, buy and pollute with.

The Development of Hybrid Autos

It used to be said that if you wanted a hybrid car, you had a choice of the Honda Civic, Honda Insight or the Toyota Prius. These cars had the same benefits: high fuel economy, low emissions and a compromised performance character. For anyone who wanted to do his or her part in saving the environment, it was really a matter of choosing one of the three. Today, hybrid autos are the darlings of the industry. The rising fuel costs and the awakening realization that we are the guardians of our planet and that oil is running out have brought about this change.  Recent brands of hybrid autos use a gallon for 28 miles. Some full hybrid autos are propelled by electric motors before the gas engine starts. These autos offer significant fuel savings and pollution since they can run approximately 15 miles per hour on electric power and cut engines at stoplights and in traffic. Partial hybrid autos on the other hand offer better performance with improved fuel economy.

Increasing interest in hybrid autos can be seen in the willingness of many drivers opting for these autos even though the fuel savings will not make up for the original cost difference. An interest in electric cars will likely see them become mainstream in a few decades. It is proposed that by 2012, a plug-in hybrid car will be available that will allow drivers to drive for approximately 50km on a battery pack that takes 5 hours to charge. Originally meant to be launched in Europe, it is estimated that about 75 percent of drivers will be in a position to drive these cars.

The energy efficiency of such plug-in hybrid autos can be covered by today’s electric capacity. It would require a single medium-sized wind-power station to cover the annual electric consumption of between 1,000 and 2,000 electric cars in normal use. If, say 15 percent of Europe’s cars were electric hybrid autos, it would require an increase of only 1 and 3 percent of the current total electric requirements, quite possible with today’s technology. In the meantime the cost of the batteries remains a challenge.

It is also likely that future vehicles will use aspects of hybrid electric technology instead of a hybrid drivetrain in reducing fuel consumption. We can expect to see more of regenerative braking that recaptures energy, shutting down of engine at idle and emissions reduction. It is hoped that this will be a stepping stone to full hybrid autos in the not-so-distant future.

Other alternative fuel vehicles are out there. More and more cars a using Diesel Fuel, once the provence of only semi trucks and train engines. Diesel is relatively “better” at providing miles per gallon, but is still gasoline. A better option is ethanol, a corn-based power fuel. This is still difficult to find stations that pump ethanol is some locations, but those stations are growing and you might be surprised with how many are actually in your area.

There is no perfect option out of the alternative fuel vehicles. Many people seem to be waiting for one particular technology or system or innovation to grab a large enough market share to validate that it is not a passing fad and is worth a significant investment. No one knows what that will be, despite all of the speculation. Either way, the future of transportation lies with alternative fuel vehicles and they are here to stay.

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