July 1, 2008

Alternative Fuels – Say To Heck With Gas

Alternative Fuels - Say To Heck With Gas

There's possibility you might have noticed a slight increase in the price of gas. Okay, you're probably grinding your teeth every time you just pass a gas station, to say nothing of the stress of actually buying gas. It's enough to make a person say the heck with gas entirely. If only.

Fortunately, there are alternative fuels available, with more on the way. There's a good chance you'll be able to find a fuel alternative that will save both your teeth and your sanity when you go to the pumps.

Biodiesel

This alternative fuel is available right now. Commercially available biodiesel costs right around the same amount as regular diesel, which could still be a savings compared to regular gas to begin with.

The real alternative that will save money is using purified cooking oil as fuel. By running ordinary used grease through a strainer, you can use it without modification in some diesel vehicles. Given that you get used oil for free at many restaurants, this is an alternative fuel that can really save you money.

Hybrid Cars

As the name implies, hybrids use two or more fuels as an alternative to just using gasoline. This is one of the more common kinds of alternative fuel strategies, since they don't require any change in your habits.

They way most work is to use a gas or diesel motor to power a generator that charges batteries that power the electric motors that drive the wheels. Whew. This increases fuel efficiency by a number of means, including using the friction from braking to charge up the batteries, for example, and taking advantage of having less weight from the engine.

Fuel Cells

One alternative fuel source that will become widely available in the next few years is the fuel cell. Of all the alternative fuels, this one is the most science fiction like of them. A fuel cell is basically a battery that never goes dead. Never, so long as the chemicals that provide the energy keep coming in.

The chemical that most fuel cells are slated to use is hydrogen. Eight dollars of hydrogen will take a car around 160 miles. This is very roughly equivalent to getting 80 miles to the gallon with regular fuel. And as fuel cells as an alternative fuel become more popular, hydrogen prices will almost certainly drop, so this is one of the most promising.

So if the price of gas is getting you down, then take heart, alternative fuels and some relief are just around the corner.