Fuel of the future

What type of vehicles we are going to drive in ten to twenty years? Gasoline, in the form sold now, will not exist in a future. If by any chance it really does, it is going to be very, very costly. The vehicle we are going to drive in the future will be based on solar, electric, hydrogen, bio-diesel or other sources we haven’t even thought of yet.

In recent years much progress has been made i n the research for alternative fuels. Some vehicles are currently being tested, manufactured and driven using following alternatives:

1.Biodiesel
The technical definition of Biodiesel according to the National Biodiesel Board (NBB) is as follows:

Biodiesel (Fatty acid methyl ester) is a fuel made from natural and renewable sources such as vegetable oils. Just like petroleum diesel, biodiesel can be used in combustion-ignition engines. Biodiesel has very similar physical properties to conventional petroleum diesel. Biodiesel is biodegradable and requires minimal engine modification when used either as a blending component, or as it is.

However, the German Elsbett company has successfully manufactured and sold single tank vegetable oil fuel systems for last several decades, and has worked with Volkswagen on their TDI engines.

2.Hydrogen
This is one of the most commonly investigated alternative fuels. Hydrogen constitutes 90% of the atoms of the world. Water, snow, air, etc. Research data shows that the greatest potential use for hydrogen as an alternative fuel is in a fuel cell. Electricity to power a vehicle is produced when hydrogen and oxygen are combined. A fuel cell is two to three times more efficient than an internal combustion engine. Hydrogen can be used as an alternate fuel in two ways: combustion or fuel-cell conversion.

Additionally, it's the cheapest, smarter, greener choice of alternative fuels. The major car companies like VW, Nissan, and Hyundai/Kia already have hydrogen fuel cell vehicle prototypes on the road.

3.Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
CNG is mainly composed of methane. Combustion of methane in engines produces the least amount of Carbon Dioxide of all fossil fuels. CNG is a well known and very cost effective alternate fuel for cars. It has already grabbed its share in the future to act as an alternate fuel for the cars.

According to the reports 10 millions CNG vehicles are driven around worldwide and South America is leading the global market with a share of 40 percent.