ALT-2 Alternative Fuel Sources
Alternative fuels are nothing new: a) in 1878, Jules Verne envisioned a hydrogen economy, b) in 1915, electric vehicles were more prevalent than today, and c) some early vehicles used alcohol. Powerful oil monopolies then persuaded manufacturers to exclusively use gasoline. What will it take to change that?
Security, independence and politics aside, the hard realities of fuel extraction, refinement, distribution and usage complicate tradeoffs in the pursuit of pollution and greenhouse gas reductions. For example, natural gas processing can create hydrogen, but this depletes winter heating reserves. Or, the farming, processing and shipping of ethanol diverts land and water resources away from food crops. New comprehensive paradigms are needed.
Optimizing natural gas and propane can provide minor reductions, but, with time and support, renewable biofuels can provide significant reductions. For example, it took Brazil thirty years to virtually eliminate petroleum imports using their sugar-based ethanol R&D blend program. U.S. Ethanol is made from corn or other feed grains, which has less energy efficiency, but, cellulosic ethanol, made from biowaste, can potentially boost fuel availability for low emission, flex-fuel vehicles that use an 85% ethanol blend. Brazil also produces biodiesel from soybeans, African palm, and vegetable and sunflower oils, and may consider recycled cooking oils and animal fats. Another process, led by General Atomics, has advanced the biodiesel-from-algae technology closer to production capabilities. New diesel technologies, cleaner than gasoline, are a short term solution, but hydrogen and electric technologies, while needing cost, performance, storage and infrastructure improvements, have shown great promise as green' technologies. Electric vehicles can eventually provide the consumer's desired driving range, meanwhile, their ongoing R&D strengthens hybrid vehicle technologies. Hybrids combine the benefits of powerful gasoline engines and economic, clean electric motors so well that the Honda Civic and Toyota Prius have won Motor Trend's Car of the Year Award.
In the upcoming decades, petroleum supplies, environmentalism, incentives, customer expectations, manufacturing direction, and the fuel, vehicle and infrastructure capabilities must follow this alternative fuels evolution towards a cleaner environment: 1) hybrid electric, 2) improved ethanol blends, 3), bio-waste and algae biodiesels, and 4) pure electric and hydrogen.
