Todayâs vehicles are fortified with the latest advances in technology to create eye-popping designs, state-of-the-art auto parts, revolutionary amenities and remarkably low emissions to meet the standards. In fact, the most promising vehicles of the present time are coming into the market place with the most-advanced and environment friendly fuels. These fuels, as a fact, offer a slice of the future and they are just under your nose.
Diesel
It is, by far, the oldest technology in connection with auto fuel. Nonetheless, diesel has some important features that could serve as a bridge to the future. Diesel engines are said to be at least 30 percent more thermally efficient than gasoline engines. Modern day diesel engines are designed to blend well with the vehicle body parts to deliver a quiet and efficient operation. The BLUETEC technology which was initiated jointly by the Audi, Mercedes-Benz and Volkswagen brands, is well-accepted by auto aficionados.
Biodiesel
This fuel is domestic and renewable. Usually, biodiesel is derived from natural oils such as canola and soybean. Generally, the fuel is a mixture of natural oils and petroleum-based diesel fuel. It oftentimes uses two to five percent of petroleum-based diesel. Biodiesel curbs foreign oil dependence and at the same time it reduces carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, particulates and sulfur dioxide that pose as a great hazard to the environment.
Ethanol
Another renewable fuel is ethanol and this is derived from plant sources. The fuel is usually made from corn, sugar cane and saw grasses however it could be derived from other crops as well. The most common ethanol blend is the E85 which is composed of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. However, there are vehicles these days that are designed to run on 100 percent ethanol. According to statistics there are about two million âflex-fuelâ vehicles on the road that can run on ethanol.
Benefits of ethanol include extremely low emissions output because of its high oxygen content that make it emit no more than vapors.
Other Fuels
Hydrogen, propane, methanol, and compressed natural gas are also some of the fuels that complement gasoline engines. These fuel applications are suited for some purposes that include but not limited to warehouse or closed-space operation and fleet usage.
Another technology is turbocharging. It increases thermal efficiency hence delivering more power from less displacement. Volkswagen, for one, delivers an impressive power output from its 1.4 liter engine by utilizing turbocharger and supercharger.
Fuel cell technology radiates incredible appeal. These fuels are environmentally clean having water vapor as its by-product. Audi, BMW, Daihatsu, Fiat, Ford, GM, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Peugeot, Suzuki, Toyota and Volkswagen are some of brands that currently use fuel cell technology in their products.
Hybrids, a segment dominated by Toyota and Honda, are also hot items at the present milieu. They offer high fuel mileage, quiet operation and lower overall emissions.
By akhil on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
What is the complete future fuel – electric,hydrogen,bio or cng ?
a number of fuels are in testing condition…but what one is a complete fuel in future…….
By Jaydeep B on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
ethanol
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By young at 96 on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
hydrogen
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By ind_wink21 on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Actually hydrogen.
But it will take time for mass conversion and cheaper prices. So if u want a fuel that u want to use in your lifetime, cng is the best. However cylinders vary from 12 – 14 kg, and current supplies are inadequately distributed which is leading to long queues.
Even for electric cars, electricity charging would be a big hurdle. You can’t travel if u have to wait every now and then for charging.
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By Hannah's Grandpa on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
I don’t think that there is one complete fuel for the future, Perhaps if they were ever able to control nuclear energy completely, and utilize the waste from it.
But we need to explore and promote all of the fuels available, and not put all of our eggs in one basket.
look at where fossil fuel has gotten us.
and if we limit our choices to 1 energy source, it could happen again.
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jcms
By bestonnet_00 on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
“Hard to see the future is” – Yoda
Biofuels, CNG and LPG are probably dead ends, CNG and LPG because they are still a fossil fuel and biofuels because they involve using crops that should be feeding people or livestock for powering SUVs (along with the disruption of the global food supply that is caused by that).
Hydrogen looks like it’d be a pretty decent fuel although handling is harder it could provide the required performance and we have ideas on how to manufacture it cleanly (currently most of it comes from steam reforming of methane which uses fossil fuels although there are other ways of making it).
Electric requires better batteries to be the only power source although a hydrogen fuel cell vehicle could be considered electric. Even without better batteries a hybrid would be quite doable and provide a decent improvement in efficiency (though beware Jevons paradox, i.e. don’t rely on efficiency to solve global warming or even be part of the solution) and the slow response time of fuel cells would probably require fuel cell vehicles to be hybrids.
Synthetic hydrocarbons are also another option and would require the least change to our vehicles and distribution system since they would basically be what we’re using now but manufactured from CO2 taken from the atmosphere and a lot of energy.
Either way anything that is a clean transportation fuel is probably going to require a lot more energy to make then we’ll get from it when we use it (with the exception of uranium but transportation use of uranium will probably be restricted to large ships) and so we’re going to need an abundant source of energy to actually make any of the stuff that could be useful as transportation fuels.
Nuclear could do the job just fine (and could run our pretty much our whole civilisation on its own) and fuel production would be a better match to the unreliable sources like wind and ground based solar than electricity production (although they’ll probably have a hard time undercutting nuclear, even without needing backup and the land use will probably result in higher environmental impact).
There is also the possibility that we’ll just keep using fossil fuels (maybe converting coal to oil) although there are environmental reasons to avoid doing that. I could however see coal to oil and burning coal for the energy (really nasty) eventually mutating into CO2 from atmosphere to oil using nuclear energy which would be good enough (very good).
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By dannad on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
i would go with electric.. because hydrogen cars are far away even though they do have test cars.. and they already have electric cars so that would be my guess.
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By kenneth d on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Hi-Brid Electric power with a small BioFuel changing unit
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By Niraj R on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Its combination of all. Each fuel has its own category and benefit and usage. U can get better substitute but u can say either one is complete fuel. We humans are just exhausting the fuels… so like always empty with fuel resources.
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By vicinic on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Hydrogen is not a fuel, it is a battery and less efficient than what we have already.
The correct answer is any and all. If you need long distance runs then diesel is best. If you are short commutes, then all electric. Anything in between is what is best for your area and needs. Certainly, biodiesel is not a good idea in cold climates. Ethanol from wastes is great, but not from foods.
CNG is good if you have access and drive short to medium distances, long hauls, no way.
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By JOHNNIE B on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
Fossil fuel is the best as nature plants recycle it all the time.
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By Mahesh S on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
hydrogen is ultimate ans. for future.
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By shubham s on Oct 31, 2008 | Reply
this cannot be predicted.
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