Alternative fuels are those that are made from something other than petroleum. Many of them have been shown to reduce carbon emissions. Some examples of alternative fuels are :
Biofuels- Made from plant and animal sources and combined with alcohol to make fuel for vehicles. This reduces carbon emissions, coal burning, and fuel mileage. Some examples of plant sources:
Corn - being used
Sugar Cane -being studied
Soy Beans - being studied
Algae - disputed viability
Of all the alternative fuels, corn is the one that is being used the most right now. You can purchase the fuel at many different gas stations in the U.S. . Look in your car owner's manual to see if your car can run on ethanol or "E85".
Electricity- Charges up the battery that powers the motor. Electrically powered vehicles are hitting the streets with increasing numbers. The advantage of driving an electric car is: no emissions. The electricity used to power them has been an issue, but recent studies have shown that electrically powered vehicles do reduce emissions. Generating the electricity does use coal, petroleum, and nuclear power, but it produces 90% less of the emissions caused by standard engine cars. Add the fact that we are also working toward the powering of electrical plants with solar, hydrogen and wind energies... Electric vehicles are looking like a viable option for the future of transportation.
Natural Gas (methane) - A by-product of oil drilling. Landfills are a great source of methane as well. At issue with using natural gas as an alternative with which to fuel our vehicles, is that natural gas is not renewable in the quantities we would need in order to make it a real option.
Ethanol (E85) - E85 is the term used for the mixture of corn and grain produced fuel and gasoline. It is 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline. E85 is the most sold alternative fuel and it is cheaper than gasoline. Many vehicles on the road today have the ability to use this fuel. They are "Flex-Fuel Vehicles" or "FFV's".
Over 6 million FFV's have been sold in the U.S. over the last several years. There are many people who don't even know they own one! Take a look at your owner's manual if you are not sure. If you don’t know which stations in your area sell alternative fuels, check out Eere.energy.gov . This site has a built-in station finder.
There are more alternative fuels out there than discussed on this list. Some of them are looking very promising as future environmentally friendly alternatives for gasoline. Others are just as they are called “alternatives” - they won’t be any better than petroleum-based fuels.
