I don’t know about you, but sometimes all this talk about alternative or “green” fuel gets me a little confused, so I finally made a list of what’s what and how they compare.  I hope this list helps you, too.

Cellulosic Ethanol

• The Good
  Cellulosic Ethanol is renewable and can be made from plants not meant for consumption. This fuel also generates more energy than it takes to produce, greenhouse-gas emissions are lower than gasoline.
• The Bad
  So far, there’s no technology for mass production.
• The Basics
  Cellulosic Ethanol is a biofuel which is refined from cellulose, a material found in corn stalks, wood chips and some grasses.

Biodiesel

• The Good
  Biodiesel fuel has more energy than gasoline and can be used with any diesel engine.  It also helps to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions.
• The Bad
  May cause fuel system problems in some vehicles and mileage is low for conventional diesel powered vehicles.
• The Basics
  Biodiesel is a renewable fuel which is manufactured from vegetable oil, such as canola oil and soybeans, or from animal fats.

E-85 or Corn Ethanol

• The Good
  E-85 fuel cuts greenhouse emissions by 20 percent, contains fewer emissions and is renewable.
• The Bad
  Using this kind of fuel may mean your gas mileage could be anywhere from 30 to 40 percent lower since it contains less energy than gasoline. Many also believe mass production of ethanol could eventually lead to a shortage of corn supply.
• The Basics
  This fuel comes from sugar in corn (as well as from other plants) and is blended with gasoline, which is known as E-85, which contains 85 percent ethanol.

Clean Diesel

• The Good
  Clean Diesel offers more energy than gasoline which allows for better gas mileage and is ideal for those who tow heavy cargo.
• The Bad
  Extra technology needed to clean diesel fuel raises the cost. Diesel also causes pollution – which means more smog.
• The Basics
  Like gasoline, diesel comes from petroleum.  Vehicles which use “clean diesel” burn fuel more efficiently and trap pollutants better, but still cause more pollution than regular gas burning vehicles.

Hybrid

• The Good
  Because a hybrid uses an electric motor, when compared to a gas powered vehicle, drivers can expect an increase in gas mileage anywhere from 25 to 30 percent. Hybrid vehicles burn less fuel, which means fewer greenhouse gases, too.
• The Bad
  Since hybrid vehicles use batteries and battery packs, this can increase the cost of the vehicle when compared to more conventional, gas powered vehicles. Also, batteries in the rear cargo area take up storage space.
• The Basics
  Hybrid vehicles have a battery-powered electric motor.  This battery powered motor drives the vehicle during slow speeds, while the gasoline engine works during higher speeds.

Plug-In Hybrid

• The Good
  Plug-in hybrids mean even cheaper gasoline and better gas mileage since plug-in vehicles may also get higher mileage than standard hybrids.
• The Bad
  Battery packs are large, taking up space and also add weight to the vehicle, which lowers performance. Plug-ins are also currently too expensive to mass produce.
• The Basics
  A battery powered motor needing to be charged from an electrical source, such as an electrical outlet, at home or elsewhere. The battery powered motor keeps the vehicle going until the power gets low and then a gasoline engine takes over to power the vehicle.

Electric Vehicles

• The Good
  Great fuel economy.
• The Bad
  Batteries needed for an all electric vehicle would be bigger than those used in a hybrid vehicle, so the automobile would need to be designed around the size of the battery.  Currently, these vehicles would be expensive to produce.
• The Basics
  An electric vehicle is any vehicle which runs entirely using a battery-powered motor.

Hydrogen/Fuel Cell Vehicles

• The Good
  Hydrogen is available in water and natural gas, which makes it readily available, and means the only emission is water. Hydrogen fuel also has more energy than gasoline, which means better gas mileage.
• The Bad
  Natural gas is an unrenewable hydrocarbon and there’s not a distribution system or standardized method of storage.
• The Basics
  Hydrogen/Fuel Cell vehicles use an electric motor, however the motor would be charged by a fuel-cell, which converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity which flows to the battery.

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