Beer and Liquor

The oceans are going to rise drastically in the next hundred years, just like they have over the past hundred years. Slowly and gradually the earth’s natural resources and sources of fossil fuels used in energy are running out. These two events are linked by the fact that there needs to be a new source of energy to fuel vehicles because we are running out of fossil fuels and we are diminishing the ozone layer through pollution. There are three main alternative energy vehicles that have been in development, and only one has really been used in mass distribution. The future of an alternative energy vehicle is being developed now and will have a large impact on society, the environment, and the way people live.

There are three main sources of energy that are used alternatively to gasoline to power vehicles today. The first alternative energy that is used quite a bit today in automobiles such as the Toyota Prius, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, and the Ford Escape Hybrid. These types of vehicles are referred to as dual-mode vehicles, or more commonly known as the hybrid. Hybrids are vehicles that can run on power from two different sources, typically electricity from overhead lines or ground level power supply and in parallel or alternating from an internal combustion engine burning liquid fuels or gas. The hybrid is capable of running off of two sources of energy at once by using a fuel cell until the vehicle reaches speeds requiring more energy than the rechargeable fuel cell can offer, thus switching to gasoline as the main source of energy to power the vehicle. This offers gas mileage to be almost unlimited, if one is a city commuter; and gas mileage to be much better if commuting in a higher speed area. Pollution would be greatly reduced through the use of the hybrid vehicle as a main source of transportation; however, it would not solve the problem of diminishing emissions and transportation pollution.

The second main source of alternative fuels to power vehicles is the usage of all-electric, battery powered vehicles, electric vehicles, or EVs. “Astrolab, the world’s first commercial solar car, will be available in January 2008 thanks to automobile designer Sacha Lakic. The car was developed by the French manufacturer, Venturi. The vehicle is powered by energy from the sun - the 16kW electric motor requires very little energy for propulsion. The solar hybrid can travel a minimum distance of 110 kilometers and has a top speed of 120kph.” (Burner, 2006) Battery electric vehicles have been very expensive and almost impractical to make, because of the fact that they do not travel very far (about 250 miles on one charge), and that they need to be recharged rather than “filled up” overnight. The most highly publicized EV is a high performance, stylish sports car known as the Tesla Roadster. It is the first successful EV to have been recognized, and is a step in the right direction for alternative fuels and battery electric vehicles. The EV is a vehicle that utilizes chemical energy stored in rechargeable battery packs. Electric vehicles use electric motors and motor controllers instead of internal combustion engines (ICEs)… BEVs produce no exhaust fumes, and minimal pollution if charged from most forms of renewable energy. Many are capable of acceleration exceeding that of conventional vehicles, are quiet, and do not produce noxious fumes. The usage of no combustible fuels, little pollution, and the fact that most EVs have the speed of sports cars is an advantage that would someday appeal to Americans, if the price of these vehicles would reduce drastically.

The third source of alternative fuels used to power vehicles is the newest, most practical, and our greatest chance at reaching a fuel that can be obtained for everyday use and bought by the everyday person. This new type of fuel is the use of hydrogen in a fuel cell or combustion of hydrogen similar to that of internal combustion engines that use gasoline or other fossil fuels. A hydrogen car “uses hydrogen as its on-board fuel for motive power. The power plants of such vehicles convert the chemical energy of hydrogen to mechanical energy (torque). The first hydrogen filling station was opened up in 2000, in Dearborn, Michigan, and have been popping up all over the world ever since, in Germany, Iceland, California, Japan, and other countries. Hydrogen cars use electrolysis to extract the pure hydrogen from wind, water, nuclear, and solar energy resources. Hydrogen is the most abundant substance in the universe and is a renewable resource. Hydrogen cars produce only water as the product, and virtually release no emissions into the atmosphere. The problem with obtaining hydrogen for a main energy resource in vehicles is the fact that fuel cells are very costly, the actual process of producing hydrogen to fill up these vehicles is very pricey, and distributing hydrogen to cars in a similar way as now