Alternative Fuels and the Roles They are Destined to Play in the Automotive Scheme of Things

Alternative Fuels and the Roles They are May Play in the Automotive Scheme of Things

Tom Torbjornsen, host of "America's Car Show" radio program answers questions from his listeners. (Listen to Tom's radio shows every Saturday and Sunday right here on The Auto Channel)

What is an alternative fuel?

"Alternative fuels" are vehicle fuels that aren't made from petroleum. There are many kinds of fuels that vehicles can run on that aren't made from petroleum. The United States Department of Energy officially recognizes this list of alternative fuels, there are a few others, but for the sake of space, I will mention the most popular:

Alcohols - ethanol and methanol.
Compressed natural gas (CNG) - natural gas under high pressure.
Electricity - stored in batteries.
Fuel Cells – electric power from hydrogen.
Bio-diesel - a lot like diesel fuel, but made from plant oil or animal fat.

By increasing alternative fuel use, consumers have fuel choices that compete with gasoline and diesel, broaden our supply base, and have lower environmental impacts.

Now let’s look a few of the most popular alternative fuel sources in detail:

Alcohols - ethanol and methanol.

Alcohols have been popular alternative fuels for many years. In fact, Henry Ford's first car was fueled with alcohol. Both ethanol and methanol are now used as transportation fuels and will likely play an increasingly important role in the future.

Ethanol

Ethanol (sometimes called grain alcohol) is generally made in the US from corn (a grain), but can also be made from organic materials, which includes agricultural crops and waste, like rice straw, plant material left from logging, and trash including cellulose. Brazil, which is by far the largest producer in the world, makes ethanol from sugar cane. Projects are now underway in California to convert some of the state's agricultural waste, like rice straw that is now burned in fields, into ethanol.

The alcohol found in alcoholic beverages is ethanol. However, the ethanol used for motor fuel is denatured, which means poison has been added so people can't drink it.

Methanol Methanol (sometimes called wood alcohol) can be made from various organic resources like wood, as well as from coal. However, today nearly all methanol is made from natural gas, because it is cheaper. Methanol is also very poisonous and very harmful if swallowed. Methanol must not be confused with ethanol. As with gasoline, it is also wise to avoid skin contact with methanol, as it can pass through the skin. Methanol is made of a single chemical. Gasoline, on the other hand, contains many different chemicals, and can vary greatly from one batch to another. Methanol has a higher octane rating than gasoline, giving more power. In addition, methanol is safer in case of accidental fire than gasoline, because it burns cooler. Methanol contains about half the energy of gasoline per gallon. Lower energy per gallon means fewer miles per gallon of fuel, not less power. The decrease in range with methanol is one significant downfall of methanol use as a fuel.

CNG (Compressed Natural Gas) You can cook with it and heat your house with it. You may even power a car or truck with it. So what is it? ... natural gas. Like oil (petroleum), this common fuel comes from underground. However, natural gas, as the name implies, is a gas much like air, rather than a liquid like petroleum. It has been found to be one of the most environmentally friendly fuels, and its popularity is growing. Natural gas is 95% made up of methane. The other 5 percent is made up of various gases along with small amounts of water vapor. These other gases include butane, propane, ethane and other trace gases. Because of its clean burning nature and the fact that it is not made from petroleum, as gasoline and diesel are, many carmakers around the world are developing vehicles to run on natural gas. Cars, vans, buses and small trucks generally use natural gas that has been compressed (called compressed natural gas or CNG) and stored in high-pressure cylinders. Several vehicles are available today that operate on compressed natural gas.

Electricity (Battery Power)

Electric vehicles don't burn gasoline in an engine. They use electricity stored on the car in batteries. Sometimes, 12 or 24 batteries, or more, are needed to power the car. Just like a remote-controlled, model electric car, EVs have an electric motor that turns the wheels and a battery to run that motor. Typically, Evs are very aerodynamic in nature. This means that air slides around the body of the car very easily. The less air resistance or drag, the less energy is needed to power the car at freeway speeds. To charge an EV's batteries, the car is usually plugged in at night. The challenge is to develop a battery that will provide long range service, hold more energy, and last longer and being able to go 150 to 200 miles before recharging.

Fuel Cells

Another type of Zero-Emission Vehicle is the fuel cell powered vehicle. When the fuel cells are fueled with pure hydrogen, they are considered to be zero emission vehicles. Fuel cells have been used on spacecraft for many years to power electric equipment. Fuel cell vehicles turn hydrogen fuel and oxygen into electricity. The electricity then powers an electric motor, just like electricity from batteries powers the motor of an electric vehicle. Fuel cells combine oxygen from the air with hydrogen from the vehicle's fuel tank to produce electricity. When oxygen and hydrogen are combined they give off energy and water (H2O). In fuel cells this is done without any burning (combustion). Very little is in the exhaust except water. Fuel cells do get hot though, so the water comes out of the fuel cells as water vapor, or steam.

Many people in the vehicle manufacturing business think that fuel cell vehicles may be the technology of the future. However, a lot of work will have to be done to make fuel cell vehicles perform well enough to replace the type of vehicles we use today. They also will need to be made much less expensive. At present, fuel cell vehicles have only been developed to what might be called the pre-prototype stage. That means there are very few fuel cell vehicles in existence, and all of them are actually used for testing. Most car manufacturers have or are working on demonstration models, some of which can reach a speed of 90 mph and can travel up to about 280 miles before they need refueling. DaimlerChrysler has developed the NECAR 4 and Ford calls its demonstration model the P2000 Sedan. Without mass production, it is not likely that fuel cell vehicles will be competitive in the vehicle market place. However, some manufacturers claim they will have fuel cell cars available for the public by 2004.

And my favorite because of it’s uniqueness…

Biodiesel… a lot like diesel fuel, but made from vegetable oil or animal fat

Bio diesel is not regular vegetable oil and is not safe to swallow. Biodiesel is biodegradable though, so it is much less harmful to the environment if spilled. Biodiesel is made through a process called transesterification. This process makes vegetable oil and animal fat into esterified oil, which can be used as diesel fuel, or mixed with regular diesel fuel. Ordinary diesel engines can run on biodiesel. Practically any type of vegetable oil or animal fat can be used to make biodiesel. But the most popular types of vegetable oils are soybean and rapeseed oil. Soybeans are used to make tofu and soy sauce. Soybean and rapeseed oil have been tried as biodiesel because they are less expensive than most other types of vegetable oil. Although soybean and rapeseed oil are more expensive than regular diesel fuel, most other types of vegetable oils are too expensive to even be considered for use as diesel fuel. Animal fat also is too expensive for this use, but used oil from restaurants have been tried for biodiesel. Biodiesel has been shown to produce lower tailpipe emissions than regular diesel fuel. The best thing about biodiesel is that it is made from plants and animals, which are renewable resources.

There ya have it, alternative fuels in a nutshell!

‘Til next time…Keep Rollin’

For more articles by Tom Torbjornsen, visit AMERICA’S CAR SHOW web site: www.americascarshow.com

Tom Torbjornsen is an automotive expert of 37 years. An automotive journalist in good standing with the IMPA (International Motor Press Association), Tom is the Repair and Maintenance Editor for several websites.