Vehicle, fuel choices can reduce emissions
Traditional gasoline and diesel fuel are no longer the only choices for fueling a vehicle. There are numerous other alternative fuels, such as ethanol, electricity, natural gas, propane and hydrogen, just to name a few.
Vehicle Types | More Alternatives | Fueling Stations | DFW Clean Cities
Flexible Fuel Vehicles
Flexible fuel vehicles (FFVs) are capable of operating on gasoline, E85 (85 percent ethanol, 15 percent gasoline), or a mixture of both. FFVs are qualified as alternative fuel and provide emissions benefits.
Availability: There are more than six million flexible fuel vehicles on U.S. roads today, but many FFV owners do not know their vehicle is one. To find out if your vehicle is a flexible fuel vehicle, visit the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition Web site.
Electric Vehicles
Electricity can be used as a transportation fuel to power battery electric vehicles (EVs). EVs store electricity in an energy storage device, such as a battery. The electricity powers the vehicle's wheels via an electric motor. EVs have limited energy storage capacity, which must be replenished by plugging into an electrical source.
Electric vehicles with direct current (DC) electric systems get approximately 0.4 kilowatt-hours (kWh) per mile, while those with more efficient alternating current (AC) systems get approximately 0.174 to 0.288 kWh per mile. If your home electricity rate is $0.13 per kWh, it would cost nearly $0.05 per mile for DC operation and $0.03 cents per mile for AC operation.
Although electricity production may contribute to air pollution, EVs are considered zero-emission vehicles because their motors produce no exhaust or emissions.
Availability: There are currently no light-duty electric vehicles available from the major auto manufacturers. Neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), on the other hand, are being manufactured by a variety of companies. These small vehicles are commonly used for neighborhood commuting, light hauling, and delivery. Their use is limited to areas with 35 mph speed limits or for off-road service on college campuses, at airports, or resort areas.
Some vehicles can be converted to electric vehicles. The most popular vehicles for the conversion are vehicles with manual transmissions, including the Volkswagen Rabbit, Porsche 914, Honda Civic, Honda CRX, Ford Escort, and air-cooled Volkswagens.
Natural Gas Vehicles
Natural gas vehicles (NGVs) are either fueled with compressed natural gas (CNG) or liquefied natural gas (LNG). Compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, NGVs can produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions. NGV horsepower, acceleration, and cruise speed are comparable with those of an equivalent conventionally fueled vehicle.
In addition, some natural gas vehicle owners report service lives two to three years longer than gasoline or diesel vehicles and extended time between required maintenance.
Availability: Only one production light-duty NGV is available: the Honda Civic GX sedan. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has called the natural gas Honda Civic GX the cleanest internal-combustion vehicle on Earth.
While availability is low, certified installers can economically and reliably retrofit many light-duty vehicles to run on natural gas. Natural gas engines and fueling systems are also available for heavy-duty vehicles such as transit buses and refuse trucks.
Propane Vehicles
Propane, also known as liquefied petroleum gas or LPG, is considered an alternative fuel. Propane has been used in vehicles since the 1920s. There are more than 270,000 on-road propane vehicles in the United States and more than 10 million worldwide. Many are used in fleets, including light- and heavy-duty trucks, buses, taxicabs, police cars, rental, and delivery vehicles.
Propane vehicle power, acceleration, and cruising speed are similar to those of gasoline-powered vehicles. Compared with vehicles fueled with conventional diesel and gasoline, propane vehicles can produce significantly lower amounts of harmful emissions.
Availability: No light-duty LPG vehicles are available for sale to the general pubic. However, gas vehicles can be converted to run on LPG. In fact, most propane vehicles are conversions from gasoline vehicles.
The average cost of conversion of a light-duty vehicle from gasoline to propane fuel ranges from $4,000 to $12,000. The upfront cost to convert a vehicle is offset by lower operating and maintenance costs over the lifespan of the vehicle.
[Return to top]
Other Alternative Vehicles
The list of alternative fuels is growing every day. Here are some other fuels to consider:
Alternative Fueling Stations
Alternative fueling stations are all over the United States. To find an alternative fueling station near you, click here.
The station locator can search the fueling station database to find stations offering CNG, LPG, E85, electricity, biodiesel, hydrogen, and LNG. The results are displayed in a map with details on each station.
[Return to top]
Dallas-Fort Worth Clean Cities
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Clean Cities Technical Coalition is the DFW Metroplex chapter of the U.S. Department of Energy's National Clean Cities Program. In 1995, the DFW Clean Cities became one of the first Clean Cities under the Energy Policy Act's provision for an organization that promotes the use of alternative fuels to lessen America's dependence on foreign sources of petroleum. DFW Clean Cities is a locally based, private and public partnership group that works to advance the economic, environmental, and energy security goals of the United States by supporting local decisions to adopt practices that contribute to the reduction of petroleum consumption in the transportation sector.
The objectives of the DFW Clean Cities program are to:
- Facilitate the deployment of alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs).
- Support the installation of an alternative fuel refueling infrastructure throughout the DFW Metroplex.
- Increase the use of fuel blends (i.e. diesel/biodiesel & ethanol/gasoline).
- Accelerate sales of hybrid electric vehicles.
- Promote informed consumer choice on fuel economy.
- Encourage the use of idle reduction technologies for heavy-duty trucks and other vehicles.
To learn more about the DFW Clean Cities, click here.
Source
U.S. Department of Energy - Alternative Fuels & Advanced Vehicles Data Center
[Return to top]
|
