Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Biodiesel Vehicles | Natural Gas Vehicles | Propane Vehicles

Many new vehicles have been developed such as the electric vehicles that run on batteries, the hybrid vehicles that run on both an electric motor and a gasoline engine and the newest invention the fuel cell vehicle. In addition many gasoline cars and trucks have ben converted so they can operate on ethanol, natural gas or other alternative fuels.

Biodiesel Vehicles

Biodiesel is an alternative to petroleum based diesel fuel that is made from renewable sources such a s new and used vegetable oil and animal fats. It works exactly the same way as regular diesel in compression based internal combustion engines. Similar to methanol, Biodiesel can mixed up to 20% with conventional diesel and used in any diesel equipment without requiring any engine modifications and can provide the same power ratios as conventional diesel fuel.

B100 is an acronym for 100% Biodiesel fuel. Most experts believe that B100 can be used in any diesel engine manufactured after 1994 with little or no modification and completely safety. However some manufacturers are concerned whether it will adversely affect engine durability. B100 is not particularly well suited to very low temperature conditions and the fuel requires special transportation and storage.

Who is Using Biodiesel Vehicles?

Transit bus fleets in many cities as well a several school bus fleets use Biodiesel . Many farmers use it for their farm equipment. Any fleet wanting to comply with the Energy Policy Act of 1992 must use at least a 20% blend.

Availability - Biodiesel fuel is available in most parts of the United States. fueling station locator

Safety – the flash point of Biodiesel is higher than that of conventional diesel so it is safer. Since it biodegradable, it is much more environmentally friendly than any petroleum based product.

Cost – at the present time, Biodiesel is approximately 20 cents a gallon more than regular diesel fuel.

Biodiesel Benefits

B20 reduces air pollution and B100 practically eliminates harmful pollution.
Domestically produced so it can reduce our dependence on foreign oil
Can be made from soybeans and mustard seed or even used cooking grease.
The viscosity is higher than conventional diesel so it provides better lubrication for the engine.

Natural Gas

There are approximately 130,000 natural gas vehicles currently in use in the United States and over 5 million worldwide. Natural gas is primaly methane and is produced by gas wells and is a byproduct of crude oil production. The primary reason it is used in because it burns cleanly and is available commecrically is end users in both compresed and liquid stats. Almost 20% of the transit buses in the United Stats use natural gas as their fuel. These vehicles perform comparably to their gasoline and disel counterparts.

Availability – There seem to be fewer models available than in the past. Please see Alternative Fuels Vehicle Buyers Guide for more information. Fuel is available in almost all cities and in many rural areas as well.

Safety - Natural gas vehicles are just as safe as gasoline and diesel vehicles. They use specially designed pressurized tanks designed to withstand impact, high temperatures, and other hazards. Special training is requird to operte and maintain natural gas vehicles. Most states require the mechanics to be certified.

Cost - Usually natural gas vehicles are cheaper to operate which is why transit bus fleets use them and an existing vehicle can be retrofitted to run on natural gas for approximately $4000.

Natural Gas Benefits

Propane Vehicles

Propane is a by-product of natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Most of the propane used in the United States is domestically produced. Propane is also know as liquefied petroleum gas (LPG). Propane has been used in vehicles since the 1920s. There ar approximately 200,000 propane vehicles in the United States and approximately 9 million around the world. Some of the kinds of propane vehicles used include: cars, pickup trucks, vans, medium and heavy-duty vehicles like transit buses, shuttles, trolleys, delivery trucks, school buses and off-road vehicles such as forklifts and loaders.

Availability – There are several manufactures that offer a wide range of vehicles for purchase plus existing vehicles can be converted as well. All states have public fueling stations spread throughout both city and rural aras.

Safety- Since propane burs so cleanly, these vehicles can safely be used indoors with out causing damage to breathability which is why forklifts normally run on propane.

Cost – the operating cost is somewhere between natural gas and gasoline/diesel fuel vehicles. It only cost about $2500 to convet a light truck to propane. Like natural gas vehicles, the maintenance costs are lower.