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Alternative FuelsElectricity
| Ethanol | Natural Gas |
Propane | Hydrogen | Biodiesel
| The fuels defined by the EPAct include ethanol, natural gas, propane, hydrogen, biodiesel, electricity, methanol, and p-series fuels. All of these fuels are being used around the world for a variety of purposes and to power all kinds of vehicles. Most alternative fuels reduce the amount of pollution in our atmosphere caused by harmful pollutants from exhaust emissions. Many of these alternative fuels can be produced from renewable sources such as grain and other plants. Please see the Comparison Fuel Chart for a sise-byside comparison of the alternative fuels. ElectricityElectricity is the alternative fuel that will eventually replace gasoline for light duty passenger vehicles. There are three kinds of electric vehicles, battery, hybrid and fuel cell. Please see Electric Vehicles for more information. EthanolEthanol is an alcohol-based alternative fuel produced in much the same what that liquor is made. The plant material is crushed, let ferment and then distilled. Ethanol can be made from feed stocks such as corn, barley, and wheat or it be produced from "cellulose biomass" such as trees and grasses. Ethanol is available in two blends E10 and E85. E10 is 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline and E85 is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Vehicles that can run on E85 are called flexible fuel vehicles (FFV) E10 is used everywhere during the times of the year when oxygenated gasoline is mandated by law. See Ethanol Vehicles for more information. Natural GasNatural gas is either as a byproduct of oil drilling or from landfills and water/ sewage treatment plants. Most natural gas is produced domestically and is valued for it clean burning properties Natural gas is one of the cleanest burning alternative fuels available and offers a number of advantages over gasoline. It reduces harmful air pollutants on the average of 60-70%. See Natural Gas Vehicles for more information PropanePropane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a popular alternative because Propane is a popular heating and cooking fuel in more rural areas so there is already an existing infrastructure of pipelines, processing facilities, and storage in existence. Propane I a byproduct of natural gas processing and oil refining. Propane has considerably less emissions. Propane vehicles can have demonstrated a 98% reduction in the emissions of toxins and can be safely used indoors in fork lifts and other industrial equipment. Approximately 85% of all propane used in this country comes from domestic sources. See Propane Vehicles for more information. HydrogenHydrogen has been used effectively in a number of internal combustion engine vehicles as pure hydrogen mixed with natural gas. However, the real future of hydrogen lies in it use with fuel cell vehicles. See Fuel Cell Vehicles for more information. Hydrogen can be produced using many different methods and the real challenge is to develop a practical method that can produce enough hydrogen to completely replace gasoline use. Hydrogen's main benefits are:
BiodiselBiodisel is a type of diesel fuel made from renewable sources such as plant and animal fats. See Biodiesel Vehicles for more information MethanolMethanol can be produced from almost any carbon based material such as natural gas, coal, wood, etc. It isn’t being used much anymore because it produces a high amount of formaldehyde in emissions. However, methanol can easily be made into hydrogen. Some researchers are currently working on using methanol as a hydrogen fuel source to create hydrogen for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the future. P-Series P-Series fuel is a unique blend of natural gas liquids (pentanes
plus), ethanol, and the biomass-derived co-solvent methyltetrahydrofuran
(MeTHF). P-Series fuels are clear, colorless, 89-93 octane,
liquid blends that are formulated to be used in flexible fuel
vehicles (FFV's). These fuels are not currently being produced
in large quantities and are not widely used.
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