This article is part 1 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
The surveys indicate that Americans are concerned about the environment, global warming, and related topics. Yet many do not realize that cars and trucks that guides are an important source of these problems, and that there are other choices they can do today.
Most [...]
This article is part 2 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Transportation accounts for more than 67% of oil consumption in the USA-more than it produces. Today, our country imports more than 54 percent of its oil, and suggested that this could increase to 75% by 2010.
According to the U.S. Federal Highway Administration, the [...]
This article is part 3 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Not only do alternative fuels burn cleaner to reduce emissions, but some are also renewable, unlike fossil fuels, which means that we could develop a continuous supply of them. Alternative fuels in use today include ethanol, biodiesel, methanol, natural gas, propane, electricity and [...]
This article is part 4 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
The most widely used alternative transportation fuel is ethanol. Ethanol is an alcohol usually made from corn or corn by-products, using a process similar to brewing beer. Vehicles that run on ethanol have less carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide emissions than conventional vehicles.
In [...]
This article is part 5 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Biodiesel is an ester (like vinegar) that can be manufactured from different types of oils such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Each year about 30 million litres of biodiesel is produced in the USA recycled cooking oils and soybean oil.
Biodiesel is currently [...]
This article is part 6 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Methanol, another alcohol-based fuel, is usually produced from natural gas, but it can also be produced from biomass. Therefore, it has the potential to help reduce petroleum imports.
Methanol-powered vehicles emit smaller amounts of air pollutants, such as hydro- carbons, particulate matter, and nitrogen [...]
This article is part 7 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Natural gas is a mixture of hydrocarbons, mainly methane. It can be produced either from gas wells or in conjunction with crude oil production.
Natural gas is a clean burning, domestically produced fuel that generates significantly less carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, and [...]
This article is part 8 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), commonly called propane, is a mixture of at least 90 percent propane, 2.5 percent butane and higher hydrocarbons, and ethane and propylene make up the remaining balance. It is a byproduct of natural gas processing and/or petroleum refining.
A propane-powered [...]
This article is part 9 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Electricity is considered a fuel when used in vehicles. Electric vehicles use various types of batteries and other energy storage mechanisms to store the electricity used to run a vehicle. While the electricity production process for vehicles may contribute somewhat to air pollution, [...]
This article is part 10 of Advanced Technology and Alternative Fuel Vehicles.
Hydrogen is a simple, abundant element found in organic matter, notably in the hydrocarbons that make up many of our fuels, such as gasoline, natural gas, methanol, and propane. As an energy carrier like electricity (not an energy source), it must be manufactured. [...]
