 |
New fuel sources are becoming more and more available, including natural gas and ethanol that experts say are plentiful by offering great gas mileage and better for the environment than gas.
Some of the alternatives include natural gas, diesel, bio-diesel, hydrogen, and ethanol.
Automobile manufactures from Europe have used diesel to operate their cars in the past while holding 40% better mileage, less pollution, and better performance. If we were to use more diesels here in the United States, experts say car manufacturers will have to improve the image of diesel vehicles as it is seen as smelly and messy, while having an extremely high cost. Some manufacturers have built diesel trucks that do not emit smoke or visible soot. Believe it or not, some race car drivers have won races using diesel.
Bio-diesel causes less pollution than regular diesel. It is made from vegetable crops from American farms and it can also be mixed in with regular diesel. Experts say it can lengthen the life of an engine and improve performance.
E15 is 15% Ethanol and 85% gasoline and almost any car developed from the mid 1980's on can use it. Finding E15 might be a little harder, but more and more stations carry either that or E85, which is 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline. Many vehicles, called flex fuel vehicles, can use E85. The government gives tax credits to those who sell E85, but it is still not available at many gas stations. It can be found in every state, and you might even be able to find your nearest station that carries it by a simple internet search. Your local car dealer will be able to tell you whether your car is a flex fuel vehicle or not. E85 does not give quite as good mileage as regular gasoline, but it is slightly cheaper. Experts say it offers better performance as well.
Experts believe that in the future, it may be possible to get 99 miles per gallon using a hydrogen operated car. This type of car has not yet been developed, but this is a potential possibility within an approximated 10 years.
As of 2005 more than 100,000 cars that use natural gas as a fuel source were on the road. Such cars use 90% less carbon monoxide than regular cars, and such gas has now become readily available in the United States.
