Biodiesel

Biodiesel, natural gas and hydrogen are three of the more environmentally responsible options for the development of future automobile fuels. Let’s examine these choices in more detail, beginning with biodiesel. This is a renewable fuel produced from domestic vegetable oils such as canola, soybean, and cooking oil, or animal fats. Biodiesel is often combined with standard petroleum-based diesel to reduce tailpipe emissions, including diesel particulates, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. This fuel should not be confused with SVO, or straight vegetable oil, which requires the retrofitting of a diesel engine to burn it. Most existing diesel engines can burn biodiesel fuel just as easily as conventional diesel fuel.

Advantages of biodiesel include lower overall emissions, and a greater number of vehicles available to consumers, since any conventional diesel engine can run this fuel. Biodiesel’s pricing is fairly comparable to standard diesel, and drivers can alternate between diesel and biodiesel when the latter is not available. In addition, the domestic production of plant and animal oils for the fuel lessens our dependence on foreign sources. Drawbacks include the current shortage of biodiesel fueling pumps, the challenge of diverting existing crop harvests for fuel instead of food, and the fact that it currently requires a greater amount of energy to grow and convert crops for biodiesel than the energy generated by the fuel itself. In addition, the majority of U.S. vehicles do not feature diesel engines. While carbon dioxide emissions are lower from biodiesel fuel than from standard diesel, particulate emissions are still quite high. Finally, drivers in more frigid areas may be negatively impacted by the cold’s effect on the viscosity of biodiesel fuel. 

Natural Gas

The number of natural gas-fueled vehicles found around the world today stands at about 8.7 million, according to the Natural Gas Vehicles for America website. Of this number, 120,000 are presently being driven in the U.S. This vehicle is fueled by either compressed natural gas or liquefied natural gas, which is less common. There are currently 150 models of light, medium and heavy-duty engines and vehicles available on the word market, and 22% of all new transit bus orders are now natural gas-fueled. Many companies now maintain fleets of natural gas-fueled cars and trucks, and benefit from the convenience of firm-owned fueling facilities as well.

Advantages of natural gas include its reduced emissions rates, a comparatively lower fuel cost, and a decreased dependence on foreign oil. Another plus is the continuing development of economical home fueling equipment. There are also a variety of federal and state new energy incentives now available to consumers willing to invest in this type of vehicle. One major drawback of natural gas is the very low number of available fueling stations in the U.S. Compared with an estimated 200,000 traditional gas stations open in this country, the total number of natural gas fueling stations is currently just over 1,100. Other pitfalls include a shorter driving range between fill-ups, and the fact that while natural gas is a cheaper fuel than traditional oil, it is still a fossil fuel available in a limited supply.

Hydrogen

Hydrogen-fueled vehicles produce engine power by burning either a compressed liquid or gaseous form of the element. The greatest benefit of hydrogen fuel is, first and foremost, zero-emission, non-toxic water vapor as its only tailpipe discharge. Scientists are presently working on a variety of ways to produce hydrogen without the use of natural gas, which is currently a traditional component of its production. Many automotive engineers predict that hydrogen may very well be the fuel of the future, if further innovation and development can bring about a more environmentally friendly way to produce it (e.g., water), and a more compact means to store it. The estimated mass-produced cost of hydrogen at the pump is the equivalent of $2.00 to $3.00 per gallon. One major disadvantage at this time is the much larger and heavier fuel tank required to store hydrogen successfully in an automobile, at a temperature of -423°. The intense high-pressure level needed to store it poses a potential explosion threat as well, although this is no greater than that of a conventional gas tank. The investment necessary to build hydrogen service stations across the country is another economic hurdle.

Although the mass-utilization of hydrogen fuel will require additional much more development, as well as a vast infrastructure investment to enable fueling convenience throughout the U.S., the end result may be the cheapest and most environmentally responsible means possible to rid ourselves once and for all of our massive dependency on fossil fuels and foreign oil. A great deal of research and testing has also been devoted to the hydrogen fuel cell for automobiles, and this option may prove even more adaptable and just as clean-burning, in an electric vehicle. There are certainly other alternative fuel options we can utilize for the shorter-term, but the two mentioned previously will also require a considerable network of service station construction, and it doesn’t seem sensible for a country with a weakened economy to consider investing in multiple fueling infrastructures. In addition, both biodiesel and natural gas continue to contribute to emissions, and tax supplies of food crops and fossil fuels. Conversely, some experts suggest that further research may yield a highly-sustainable means to mass-produce hydrogen as the most cost-effective and eco-friendly fuel of the future, utilizing water or another natural, renewable source in its production.