Student Article High School Science Journal Author: Lauren Miller

Alternate Car Fuel

July 12, 2006

It has been all over the news for years now: kids have discussed it in their science classes, environmentalists have spend countless hours researching and advocating its use, and companies have created entirely new branches devoted to its creation.

But the truth is, a standard alternate fuel car has still not been put out in the market, and many are asking, “Why not?” Numerous alternatives exist as possibilities and technology only continues to become more and more advanced.

Is the problem in the invention, our capitalistic society, or a combination of both?

Although the research and maintenance of new eco-friendly cars has proven to be very costly, with rising gas prices and shortages of easy oil, it is a good time for someone to step forward aggressively and bring about some change. The first step in the right direction was the introduction of the Hybrid. While it does not completely eliminate harmful emissions, it certainly helps, due to the combination of a more efficient body and electricity. Fairly cheap and accessible hybrids already exist today, including the Honda Insight (which gets 65 miles per gallon), and the Toyota Prius.

Some all-electric cars have even been put into the market by big companies like Honda, GM, Ford, and Toyota, but any kind of vigorous all-electric program has been abandoned.

As far as alternate fuels go, there are several big ideas being studied, including the use of Propane, Ethanol, Methanol, Biodiesel, and possibly the most promising, Hydrogen. Propane, which is actually a part of petroleum fuel, burns cleaner due to its simple structure.

It lowers the levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, and nitrogen that escape into the atmosphere and could even last twice as long as a regular gasoline engine.

Ethanol would be an even better choice, with the lowest carbon monoxide emission of any fuel.

Methanol is a lot like Ethanol, but easier to make (seaweed, wood, garbage, basically anything with carbon), has 60% energy efficiency, and is already being put to use in large trucks and busses.

Biodeisel is just a cleaner form a diesel, but still no where near the cutback in pollution compared to propane or methanol.

Hydrogen, made from natural gas, would be the best option, with products of heat and water vapor only.

Even though it seems to be the perfect alternate fuel, it is more costly than gasoline to made, especially if it is cooled into its liquid form.

A few hydrogen cars have been made already, but there are still many problems and setbacks that would make them undesirable for the average American, like the fact that hydrogen has less energy for its volume, which means less power.

Even though the production of alternate fuel cars is costly for the company and the buyers, it is still something that needs to be taken very seriously right now.

Petroleum is only getting scarcer, and gas prices will only continue to rise.

Sooner or later, the switch will need to be made, and the less drastic that switch is, the less harmful the effects will be on society and the economy.

 
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