Alternate Fuels

The entire surface transport of India is based on petroleum fuel, but it’s availability is of growing concern. The production of domestic crude has been declining and the transport system has been increasingly dependent on imported crude oil to meet its needs. There is a growing concern that the world may run out of petroleum based fuel resources. All these make it imperative that the search for alternative fuels is taken in right earnest.
The alternative fuels aspiring to take the place of petroleum are:

Propane

Liquified petroleum gas (LPG) consists mainly of propane, propylene, butane, and butylene in various mixtures. It is produced as a by-product of natural gas processing and petroleum refining. With propane’s simple molecular composition, propane - fueled vehicles emit significantly lower levels of carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides than gasoline - fueled vehicles. The level of air - toxic emissions from propane -fueled vehicles is also low. According to the National Propane Gas Association, U.S.A., spark plugs from a propane vehicle last from 80,000 to 100,000 miles and propane engines can last two to three times longer than gasoline or diesel engines.

Ethanol

Ethanol (ethyl alcohol, grain alcohol, ETOH) is a clear, colorless liquid with a characteristic, agreeable odor. Two higher blends of ethanol, E-85 and E-95 are being explored as alternative fuels in demonstration programs. Ethanol is also made into ether, ethyltertiary-butyl ether (ETBE), that has properties of interest for oxygenated gasoline and reformulated fuels. The environmental benefits of ethanol include:

10% ethanol blends reduce carbon monoxide better than any other reformulated gasoline blend.
Ethanol is a safe replacement for toxic octane enhancers in gasoline such as benzene, toluene and xylene.
ETBE lowers gasoline volatility and is, thus, particularly effective in reducing VOC emissions from automobiles.

Methanol

Methanol (CH3OH) is an alcohol fuel. As engine fuels, ethanol and methanol have similar chemical and physical characteristics. Methanol is methane with one hydrogen molecule replaced by a hydroxyl radical.

It is produced from natural gas in production plants with 60% total energy efficiency. Methanol can be made with any renewable resource containing carbon such as seaweed, waste wood and garbage.

This is a promising alternative, with a diversity of fuel applications with proven environmental, economic and consumer benefits. It is widely used today to produce the oxygenate MTBE added to cleaner burning gasoline. Cars, trucks and buses running millions of miles on methanol have proven its use as a total replacement for gasoline and diesel fuels in conventional engines. Methanol offers the greatest hope for early and broad introduction of fuel cells that will make Electric Vehicles practical within the next few years. Whether reformed to provide hydrogen for conventional fuel cells or used directly in the latest liquid fed cells, methanol will overcome the greatest remaining obstacle to commercialization, by offering the only economical way to transport and store the hydrogen needed for fuel cells. Methanol fuel cells will greatly reduce carbon dioxide emissions for vehicles and virtually eliminate smog and particulate pollution.

Bio diesel

Biodiesel (mono alkyl esters) is a cleaner-burning diesel fuel made from natural, renewable sources such as vegetable oils. Just like petroleum diesel, biodiesel operates in combustion-ignition engines.

The use of biodiesel in a conventional diesel engine results in substantial reduction of unburned hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and particulate matter. It also decreases the solid carbon fraction of particulate matter (since the oxygen in biodiesel enables more complete combustion to CO2), eliminates the sulfate fraction (as there is no sulfur in the fuel), while the soluble, or hydrocarbon, fraction stays the same or is increased. Therefore, biodiesel works well with new technologies such as catalysts (which reduces the soluble fraction of diesel particulate but not the solid carbon fraction), particulate traps, and exhaust gas recirculation (potentially longer engine life due to less carbon).

Electric Fuel

Electricity is unique among the alternative fuels in that mechanical power is derived directly from it, whereas the other alternative fuels release stored chemical energy through combustion to provide mechanical power.

Batteries commonly provide electricity used to power vehicles, but fuel cells are also being explored. Batteries are energy storage devices, but unlike batteries, fuel cells convert chemical energy to electricity.

A large number of various types of batteries are being tested for use in EVs. Some of the technologies being used or evaluated include lead-acid, nickel cadmium, nickel iron, nickel zinc, nickel metal hydride, sodium nickel chloride, zinc bromine, sodium sulfur, lithium, zinc air, and aluminum air.

The first benefit of using electric fuel is that you are not polluting the environment. Although, some people argue that there are some emissions that can be attributed to Evs-the emissions that are generated in the electricity production process at the power plants. The maintenance costs for EVs is less-EVs have fewer moving parts to service and replace.