When diesel was much cheaper than gasoline, everybody went to buy diesel engine vehicles. But the soaring prices of crude oil in the world market and the increased demand for diesel have significantly increased diesel fuel prices, especially in July 2008. While it is becoming cheaper now, no one really knows if diesel prices will stay at its current low price level. And so technologists, scientists and environmentalists have developed alternative fuel to fight the soaring cost of fuel prices including diesel and gasoline.
Biodiesel
Originally, the diesel engine was designed to run on vegetable seed oil or peanut oil. But since petroleum fuel was cheaper then, people have forgotten that diesel engine can run on these natural oils. Now, it is making a comeback. Biodiesel, as we know it today, can be soybean oil, animal fats, vegetable oil or recycled restaurant grease. The good thing is, any diesel engine can run effectively on B20 (a mixture of 20 parts biodiesel and 80 parts petroleum diesel). These natural oils are clean and biodegradable. Biodiesel has lower carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and particulates emissions.
LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas)
LPG is a byproduct of petroleum refining, which are widely used for home heating and cooking, can be a substitute to diesel fuel. LPG is cheaper than all petroleum products. It contains hydrocarbons and vapor at its normal pressure and temperature. Its main component is propane. LPG is widely available and can be used as an alternative fuel with a conversion kit.
Ethanol (E85)
Ethanol is made from fermented biomass, usually corn. Completely biodegradable and renewable, ethanol is clean and doesn’t contribute to greenhouse gas emission. It got the name, E85 because it is composed of 85% alcohol and 15% gasoline. Although it is becoming widely available today and can be used on any diesel engine vehicle, E85 is pricier than other types of alternative fuel.
Methanol
Methanol is naturally abundant on earth or can be made by fermenting biomass. It is somewhat similar to ethanol. However, the availability of methanol is still a problem.
Electricity
The two main issues of electric cars are: it cannot cope with the current traffic and battery life. But with the release of the first sports car that runs on pure electricity – Tesla – these 2 issues are put to rest. However, the technology has yet to completely take off. There may be developments here and there but aside from Tesla, there are very few (plug-in) electric cars on the market today. Aside from this, electric cars are very expensive. The next best option, then, is to go hybrid. Hybrid cars have electric motor and diesel or gasoline engine (there are other types of hybrid cars). Although they are more expensive than regular cars with diesel or gasoline engine, they have the best fuel mileage the market can readily offer.
Hydrogen
The most abundant element on earth is hydrogen so it is only fitting to use it as a form of energy. But you cannot get hydrogen for free; it can be made by electrically splitting (electrolyze) water to its basic components – hydrogen and oxygen. In a sense, a hydrogen-powered car runs on water. Unfortunately, the market has yet to see mass-produced hydrogen cars.
You may have noticed that almost all alternative fuels have a problem of their own. But with the undergoing development and constant research, it won’t be long before we see our vehicles running effectively from any of these alternative fuels.
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