Alternative fuels may seem like a new topic or new invention but in reality companies, organizations and individuals have been researching and developing new ways to power vehicles. In fact, regular gasoline has contained ethanol for some years now and many countries around the global are mandating minimum ethanol requirements. For example, Canada, the United States, Britain, Argentina and Brazil all require a certain percentage of ethanol to gasoline. And as time passes, each couple of years, the minimum increases.
So what are alternative fuels and how do they differ from fossil fuels such as gasoline, kerosene and diesel? These fuels have limited life spans in the sense that when all the oil supply is depleted fossil fuels will no longer exist. Contrarily, alternative fuels are sustainable resources made from various biodegradable substances such as sugar cane, wheat, and corn. Alternative fuels are normally produced from food sources, waste food products, plants and other organisms that can be replenished and continue to grow.
The most prominent alternative fuels in the automotive gasoline market are ethanol and biodiesel. In Canada and the US, ethanol, an alcohol, is typically made with corn or wheat. It is then mixed with gasoline to create a cleaner burning fuel. But the problem still lies with the gasoline portion. As long as gas can be produced, things are fine. But as soon as gas shortages begin, it will be necessary to turn to other fuels. Further, gas is harmful to the environment and to people due to the pollution and the smog. Again new, friendlier technologies are needed. Lastly, with the current state of the economy, gas prices are very high leading consumers to wonder whether better methods of fueling vehicles are available.
Countries who are enforcing minimum mixes of ethanol and gas are ranging from two percent to five percent to ten percent. Experts claim that fifteen to twenty percent of ethanol is the largest amount that can be mixed without having to physically change the mechanisms of present day vehicles. But there are already cars being manufactured that can take as much as eighty-five percent ethanol. The biggest problem is the starting of a vehicle. Apparently, using gas as an igniter is very easy but ethanol is more difficult.
Many areas are also trying to find alternative sources of ethanol than the standard sugar cane, wheat and corn based products. Mesquite, different sweet grasses, vegetable oil, palm oil, soybean oil, recycled cooking oil, and animal fat run-offs are all being researched. In addition to these fuels, other alternative fuels already exist and have been sold for years. Many taxi fleets and delivery trucks use propane as opposed to gas and there are also electric cars.
In the US, in 2003, the president allocated just over one billion dollars to the development of hydrogen powered vehicles, particularly lightweight cars, SUVs and small pickup trucks. And while the process is agreeably very slow, it is estimated that by 2020, there could be as many as two million hydrogen fueled vehicles on the road.
Conversationally, alternative fuels are also known by other names including bio fuels, biodiesel, agro-fuels, green gas, bio energy, and non-conventional fuels.
Ever since the military allowed the design of the hummer to be made public, people have gone crazy over its design. General Motors acquired the brand name and marketing rights of the hummer and now that alternative fuels have begun to grow in popularity, they are also beginning to make an alternative fuel hummer.
Classically, the hummer has been a non-favorite vehicle for environmentalists because it gets horrific gas mileage and uses more gas than a regular vehicle. That is why it made sense for someone to come up the design for an alternative fuel hummer that would be easy on the environment as well as the drivers pocketbook.
There is a pioneer in the green movement to make a hummer that could run on alternative fuels. He is with a non-profit organization who promotes cleaner air by using cars that burn alternative fuels instead of gasoline. He decided that he was tired of his gas guzzling hummer and wanted to make it more environmentally friendly considering his association with him. So he set out to make an alternative fuel hummer. And he succeeded.
He now sells alternative fuel hummers that have shown to be very popular and selling at a really quick rate. He tricks out his vehicles and makes them visually appealing as well. He is highly thought of especially among the young crowd who want an environmentally safe vehicle that looks cool and can run on alternative fuel and that would be Toms hummers.
His alternative fuel hummers run on bio-diesel made from soybeans and corn. They use less petroleum than a hybrid car and are capable of running entirely on vegetable oil alone. That is right, you can run one of his alternative fuel hummers on Crisco! This alternative fuel hummer may be the biggest thing on the road, but it does not use one drop of petroleum and gets 23 miles per gallon.
Celebrities are big fans of these alternative fuel hummers including California governor Arnold Schwarzneggar who owns two hummers that run on bio-diesel. He recently had one of his hummers modified to run on hydrogen as well which emits absolutely no greenhouse gas which, of course, is great for the environment.
If you love the look of a hummer but want one that runs on alternative fuel, fear not. The product is out there to buy ready made or you can one converted into an eco-friendly vehicle. Keep in mind it will cost you some money, but when you consider what you are doing for our planet, owning and driving an alternative fuel hummer can be well worth the cost!
Both Rudy Van Lancker & Hilal Abdelwali are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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