The two main topics of news today are cost of fuel and role of driving in environmental pollution. Though nowadays petrol remains one of the most popular fuels the number of petrol stations offering other alternatives to petrol is growing every day. In light of global warming and the main automakers’ problem of reducing CO2 emission this rise is very important. Some experts consider that very soon people will need to refuel all the vehicles.
Diesels and Biodiesels
People have been using diesel for a long time and nowadays it is still the second most popular fuel type, after petrol, of course. However, nowadays there is a tendency of making biodiesel more available in order to use it as a fu. el for any type of diesel engine. Cars which use diesel are very popular as they are durable and reliable.
To produce biodiesels people usually use plant extracts, animal fats or oils. Of course there are critics who say that it is unbelievable that farmers will produce crops not for food supply but for fuel making. Despite of this the need in such a kind of fuel is constantly increasing now. Biodiesel also meets all “green demands”
Most diesel engines last up to 500,000 miles – rentable choice of a fuel, isn’t it?
Liquefied Propane Gas (LPG)
LPG is one of the cleanest types of fuel and today its popularity among motorists is increasing. It is not only cheaper than petrol and diesel but also produces less CO2 emission. Besides it is not harmful for your car engine. The government of the USA does all possible in order to support production of LPG powered cars reducing taxation of such automaking companies. However nowadays there are still few cars using LPG power. In the USA there are only 1500 petrol stations which offer LPG but their number is increasing. There are also few cars which use LPG but it is very easy to convert any petrol powered engine to LPG. This will cost around $3000 to $4000 but you’ll surely return this money very soon.
Natural Gas and Propane
Nowadays there are a lot of cars powered by natural gas or propane and this positively influences the environment. Besides it prolongs the durability of your car engine.
Ethanol
This kind of fuel is also made of plants. It burns more completely and cleanly than petrol, diesel or any other fuel which helps reduce greenhouse effect and CO2 emission. Another positive point for the environment is that ethanol uses waste material reducing in this way quantity of waste. Ethanol can be used in combination with petrol which is very popular today with the increasing number of flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). E85 is the most frequently uses source today. It is a bio-ethanol mix – combination of a small amount of ethanol (5 to 10 percent) with petrol. However it also causes debated regarding the possibility of making fuel out of food products. Some experts consider it impossible despite of all positive features of this type of fuel.
Electric
The greenest of all are the electric powered cars, of course. Besides it is possible to charge them right at home so it saves your time. However despite these cars are charged from renewable energy source, they also produce certain negative impact on the environment, lead to climate change. Experts hope that fuel cells ill help in this situation as they can increase the performance and range of hybrids but there is no doubt that many researches are still to be done.
Alternative types of fuel are still not very popular with the motorists which prefer usual fuels, such as diesel and petrol. However, more and more companies today make investments in alternative fuel. This is caused by economics and environmental protection movements, so the tendency is increasing from day to day.