Times have changed. It used to be that gas was plentiful, and cheap. Our design and driving habits demonstrated our interest in power, not economy. The tables have turned, and it looks like high gas prices are here to stay. Even if they open up drilling on U.S. soil, the prices are unlikely to drop. It’s time to look at the alternatives. Here are a few of the readily available alternative fuel sources we have today:
Electric Cars
The electric car is far from new, but technologies do change. There’s been a big push, federally mandated, to offer alternative fuel vehicles, such as electric cars. Electric cars are more efficient for city driving and stop and go traffic. Unfortunately the recharge time is several hours up to overnight, there is poor performance, and limited range.
The question still stands as to how long these batteries will last. Batteries for an electric car are expensive, and must be properly disposed of through recycling. The good news is that there are electric cars with well over 100,000 miles still running with the original batteries.
Ethanol or E85 fuel
E85 is the commercial name for the fuel mix that combines 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. Here’s the problem: the car must be designed or modified to operate on E85 gas. While there are a few cars and trucks on the market that run E85, and regular gas as well, we’re not likely to see many running to their dealer to buy a new car just to save a little at the pump.
The good news about E85 or ethanol based fuels: they are good for the environment. With less unburned hydrocarbons we have a cleaner environment and less smog. Performance is equal to regular gas.
Biodiesel
Along with ethanol, made from vegetable sources, we also have biodiesel. Did you know that the diesel engine was originally designed to run on a vegetable oil? Biodiesel is a little different than “raw” vegetable oil, though that is what it’s made of. The difference between using raw vegetable oil or the modified biodiesel is that biodiesel can be run in your diesel truck without modifications to the engine. You need preheaters and other modifications to run pure raw vegetable oil. This source of fuel is safe and degrades quickly, meaning less toxicity from spills.
MANDEVILLE, LA-- - Syncronys International Inc., , a Company committed to the use of alternate energy sources in the replacement of fossil fuel energy generation equipment, announced today that it has ...
Read more...Energy secretary backs natural gas exports Houston Chronicle Copyright 2012 Houston Chronicle. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Updated 09:58Â p.m., Thursday, February 2, 2012 The low price of natural gas is hurting domestic job growth, and exporting a small amount of the fuel will boost the economy, U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu ...
Read more...LAHORE: A private company has introduced its Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) based gasification plant in the Pakistan market to combat the current energy crisis faced by the industry.
Read more... A partnership between Lott Oil Company, Inc. and Chesapeake Energy Corporation (NYSE: CHK) today resulted in the opening of a new compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station in Mansfield, Louisiana at its existing Chevron branded Shop-A-Lott convenience store and truck stop at the corner of Highways 171 and 84 at 796 Washington Ave.The compressor equipment and dispensers at the station were ...
Read more...Banks employee federations demands 5-day work week
Read more...