Technological innovations made it possible for us to look for alternative ways and methods that would help save the environment. Human activities are proven to have negative impacts on the global climate. Particularly, our dependence on burning fossil fuels to power up engines has been a major concern over the last decade. Thanks to our ever-improving technology, we were able to develop alternative sources of energy that will not result in polluting our world.
For car owners who wish to go green, here are the top 5 alternative fuels for vehicles in 2023.
Hydrogen Fuel
Using hydrogen as an alternative fuel is eco-friendly since it won't produce carbon dioxide emissions, unlike traditional gasoline-powered vehicles. However, some people who know about the Hindenberg airship disaster may have a negative perception of hydrogen as an energy source. The good news is that we have developed a technology that will safely and efficiently extract energy from the combustion of hydrogen.
Enter the hydrogen combustion engine, which is similar to the internal combustion engine of gasoline-powered cars. The advantage of using hydrogen as an alternative fuel is that it only produces water vapor upon combustion. No wonder many car makers have started to design their hydrogen-powered vehicles, like the BMW Hydrogen 7.
Unfortunately, those who would like to use hydrogen as alternative fuel should replace their vehicle's internal combustion engine, which may cost quite a fortune. Another setback is the lack of hydrogen fuel stations, according to HowStuffWorks.
Biofuel
Biofuel is an obvious green alternative to fossil fuel to power up your vehicle. There are many kinds of biofuel. One example is bioethanol, which is made from corn and sugarcane. Biodiesel, on the other hand, is made from vegetable oil and animal fat. Our current technology allowed us to find better and more sustainable sources of biofuel, making it more accessible due to lowered prices. What's great about biofuel is that it can be used directly by traditional vehicles' combustion engines, which means that you don't have to customize your car build to use biofuel.
Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO)
HVOs is an ideal alternative fuel for vehicles because it is made entirely of renewable raw materials. HVOs are made from vegetable oil and animal fat, which makes this alternative fuel eco-friendly with 90% less greenhouse gas emissions, according to FuelMate. Many business establishments have already tried using HVO instead of fossil fuels for their daily operations. They can enjoy environmental tax withholdings with their reduced carbon footprint.
Like biofuel, you don't have to modify your car build to use HVO. You can also store HVO for ten times longer time than diesel without a decrease in quality.
Related Article: Urine For Fuel: Make Hydrogen Fuel With What You Make
Compressed Air
Compressed air can be used to power up a vehicle by compressing air in a tank to increase the pressure. This pressure is the one that powers up the engine and drives the vehicle's pistons. In this case, you will only need air as fuel in a compressed air vehicle (CAV), and air is literally all around us.
Of course, you will need to modify your car build if you are considering compressed air as an alternative fuel. However, the upfront cost is not that high because CAV only requires fewer internal parts compared to a gasoline-powered vehicle. The only disadvantage of using compressed air is the lower energy efficiency because of the significant amount of energy wasted in the air tank.
Electricity
Last but not the least is electricity, which has become the number one alternative fuel with the emergency of electric vehicles. EV makers have also become more committed to producing more electric vehicles and possibly making them more accessible to the public.
Using electricity as an alternative fuel is perfectly eco-friendly with very minimal greenhouse gas emissions. Granted, electricity is not a renewable energy source for vehicles, but you are not polluting the environment when you use an electric vehicle.
You have the option to buy a new electric vehicle or have your current gasoline-powered vehicle modified to add a rechargeable lithium-ion battery and an electric motor.
