With the global recession at its peak, the constant rise in oil and gas prices is really an obstacle to many of us. We all understand that oil and gas used for vehicles is not where we want half of our salaries to get wasted; there are interests rates, rising food, electricity prices and what not! All we know is that in today’s world we are all pressurized by the finances. What is our way to overcome these rising prices? Switch to a more intelligent idea: Alternative fuel cars. Looking for such cars is immensely popular nowadays, for the best reasons of course! The indecently rising prices are not only a threat to our income but they are also, a threat to our natural environment. Keep in mind that the polar ice is being melted and our ozone is being eaten away repeatedly every time the greenhouse gases are emitted. Why should we stand and watch while our own acts are troubling our home- mother Earth.
Luckily, immense research has been done and alternative fuel cars are the intelligent solution to all these obstacles and threats. These are vehicles that run on multiple types of fuels other than the traditional petroleum fuels. Also, it refers to any technology that does not involve solely petroleum.
Now to fully understand how alternative fuels cars work: well, apart from the simple explanation above, we shall look into more examples of alternative fuels and how they are used to operate cars. Let us take a look at how fuel cell vehicles work. Fuel cell vehicles use electricity to power motors exactly located near the wheels area to provide energy. The most common type of fuel cell used is the polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell. This functions around the simple use of a positive and negative electrode: known as a cathode and an anode respectively. By introducing hydrogen to the anode and oxygen at the cathode end, by using simple laws of the electron movement a current is generated. Through this flow of electrons through the external circuit attached an electric current is produced which powers the vehicle. Hydrogen fuel on the other hand is known to exist in science fiction but it is possible to fuel cars on hydrogen. However, the extraction process is dependant on electrolsys which uses immense amount of fossil fuels.
Other ways how alternative fuel cars work is through examples like alcohol which involves both ethanol and methanol. Compressed Natural Gas, more commonly known as CNG, is another of the examples. CNG can be defined as natural gas once under high pressure. We always have heard and read about Electricity being used as an alternative fuel car. This type is simple electricity stored in batteries for the car to function. Hydrogen is another source but since it is a very special type of gas it does provide a lot of challenges when stored. Moreover, Liquefied Natural Gas, which is more commonly known as LNG is natural gas that is overly cold. Liquefied Petroleum Gas, also known as LPG or propane, is another example from the long list. This contains hydro carbon gases under low pressure. Now we move on towards the liquids derived from coal, these include: gasoline and diesel fuel which do not come from petroleum. Biodiesel is one of the most famous and widely used of the alternative fuels. This is very similar to diesel fuel but it is made from either animal fat or plant oil.
Tips and comments:
Alternative car fuels have really become the big sale in the market. This is because it is comparatively cheaper and also reduces the environmental concerns along with cutting down on high rising prices. These cars have become a huge priority for many governments and vehicle manufacturers all across the globe. One must deeply look into the use of alternative fuel cars if one wants intelligent solutions for the problems being faced worldwide.
