Alternative Car Fuels

Electric cars are right for America

Former Michigan governor and clean/renewable energy missionary Jennifer Granholm stopped by the Sun-Times the other day to tell the Editorial Board that the cost of electric cars could be on par with the price of gas-powered autos as soon as 2017. If that’s actually within the realm of possibility, we are on the cusp of an energy revolution that could advance the cause of energy security and deal a significant blow to the political and economic clout of foreign oil.

Granholm, senior adviser to the Pew Clean Energy Program, was in town to tout, among other initiatives, bills introduced in Congress — including one in the House by Illinois Republican Rep. Judy Biggert — that would promote plug-in autos. The bills would help build an infrastructure of electrical charging stations, aid local governments and private companies in buying electric vehicles, implement marketing campaigns to encourage consumers to purchase them, and require federal agencies to acquire them. The Senate bill by Tennessee Republican Lamar Alexander also provides grants for research for more efficient, cheaper batteries.

That’s an ambitious agenda, but that’s necessary to come anywhere near achieving Granholm’s projection of cost parity in just six years (and to be fair, she didn’t come up with the 2017 date but said she was reflecting the view of Energy Secretary Steven Chu and others).

Count me among the skeptics that parity can come in so short a time. The poster car for the cause, the Chevrolet Volt, debuted at $41,000. Even with a $7,500 tax credit, it still costs thousands more than a comparable gas-powered auto. Hybrid cars have been around for more than a decade but still carry a substantial price premium.

And we’ve seen other blue-sky predictions for alternative energy fall short. Remember the collapse of the Carter administration’s synthetic fuels project? Three years ago, Spain embarked on an ambitious solar program only to see it crash, with thousands of lost jobs, when Spain realized it had encouraged poorly designed solar facilities that could never survive without subsidies. The 2010 winter saw wind turbines serving 11 Minnesota towns hobbled by cold temperature.

That said, I hope the projection cited by Granholm is on target, or not off by more than a couple of years. Though I’m a conservative who opposes government picking winners and losers, I also worry about the national security implications of our dependence on imported oil. Yes, we get a lot of our petroleum from friendly places like Canada. But wherever we buy it, Americans support high oil prices that fund the nuclear weapons program of Iran, enrich promoters of radical Islamism like Saudi Arabia, and fatten the bank accounts of sheiks who finance terrorists.

Renewable Energy Sources For Cars | Future Energy Sources

It can be about the money. People are looking for alternative energy sources or substitute fuel for their cars nowadays. A few months ago, increasing prices of petroleum products were experienced almost throughout the world. With the increasing money spent on the pump, we are trying to look for alternative fuels for vehicles that can eventually lead us to bigger savings.

Cars or vehicles running on alternative fuel are generally running on fuel other than gasoline or diesel. Over the years, we have become witnesses to cars running on electricity, a hybrid of gasoline + electric, or even solar power. There are even cars using water to supplement their gas through the water-to-gas technology.

There are several factors contributing to the rise and initiative of governments and manufacturers to produce alternative fuel vehicles. Heavy taxes on fuel, particularly in Europe and tightening environmental laws are several of the contributing factors. There is a possibility of further restrictions on greenhouse gas emissions.

Since autos are mostly running on fossil fuels which produce the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide, the volume of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is increasing. It leads to temperature rise which results to global warming and climate change.

There are autos that are capable in running on LPG, solar power, ethanol, fuel cells, hydrogen, and compressed cars. There are also what we call hybrid cars. Cars running on liquefied petroleum gas or LPG runs on a mix of propane and butane. Its hydrocarbon gases turn to liquid when compressed. Cars running on LPG can cut the fuel expense into half compared to gasolene and diesel. It is also said to reduce the carbon monoxide emission.

Cars using solar power convert sunlight into electricity. It can be used to energize electric motors or produce fuels such as hydrogen. Solar panels are put on the surface, more often on the roof, of the vehicle. These solar panels then convert the sun’s energy into electrical energy.

Ethanol is an alcohol produced by the fermentation of plant juice with high levels of sugar or from crops with high levels of carbohydrates such as wheat. Brazil began converting sugar cane into ethanol in 1975. Since then, Brazil has saved .8 billion by replacing their 200,000 barrels of oil daily consumption.

Brazil has already created 5.4 million ethanol- powered cars that are being exported to Sweden and Japan. Because of this industry they were able to provide 900,000 jobs to their people. Using ethanol as fuel it’s also possible to reduce the toxic emissions by 30 % compared with other fuel charged vehicles.

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