Mad Scientist Club

Alternative Fuel Vehicle (AFV)

There are two ty?es of alternative fuel vehicles – those that are orig?nally designed to run on t?ese new fuels ?nd those that have been converted to run on alternative fuel?. Car companie? will also make hy?rid ve?icles that ?an run on eith?r gasoline or other fuels. Many people call these c?rs “green vehi?les” because of their positive effect ?n the environment.

Since the trend is toward prod?cing and buy?ng environmentally f?iendly vehicles, nearly every major car manufacturer has at least one green vehicle in their inventory. We’re relatively sure that ?s alternative fuels become mo?e and more popular b?cause of the cost and the p?sitive eff?cts on our environment, th? number of green vehicles ?ill dr?matically increase in the next few years.

As of 2010, ?ere i? a list of some of the green vehicles manufactured by some of the ?ajor car companies:

• Honda Insight
• Honda Ac?ord Hybrid
• Dodge Ra? Pickup 1500 Series
• Dodge Stratus Sedan
• Dodge Durang? SUV
• Dodge Caravan Minivan
• Ford Taurus
• Ford F-150 Pickup
• Ford Escape SUV
• GM Impala
• Chevrolet Silverado 4 x 2
• Chevrolet Taho? SUV
• Chevy Y?kon SUV
• Nissan Tit?n Pickup
• Toyota Highlander SUV
• Toyota Prius

Many of the vehicles listed above are hybrid vehicles which mean th?t they can run on ?oth conventional gasoline as well a? alternative fuels. As w? ?aid, the above l?st is for 2010 vehi?les.

And these are truly just a few ?f th? alternative f?el veh?cles that are ?n the market. The?e ar? mor? ?nd more being designed and manufactured ever? day. Big car companies know that the wave of the future is going to be towards ?nvironmental fri?ndliness when it comes to ? person’s vehicle. That’s w?y their manufacturing ?f alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles is a huge part of th?ir business plans t?ese days.

Now, you should know th?t even though ?t is a good idea to buy an alternative fuel vehicle these days, yo? will have to pay ?ore money to do so. Alternative fuel vehi?les ?un anywhere from $3,000 to $10,000 more than a regular gasoline car. That’s why many state? offer great incentives f?r those people wh? own alternative fuel vehicles.

For example, California, Flo?ida, ?nd Texas have all?wed alte?native f?el vehicl?s exempti?ns when it comes to commuting. These places have commuting ?r “high occupancy” lan?s that allow cars with ? certain nu?ber ?f people in them to us? th?m. If you ?ave an AFV, you can b? in this lane even if ?ou are ?y yourself.

The Fede?al Government als? offers ? tax b?eak to those people who have purchased an alternative fuel vehicle ?n the year 2010. For so?e, that is an ?mazing tax advantage and well w?rth the in?estment ?n buying an alternative fuel vehicle.

Besides the ob?ious advantages to owning an AFV, t?e governm?nt i? also ste?ping in to make it even ?ore advantageous. People who buy t?ese types of vehicles are given t?x b?eaks on their income taxes. Additionally, many st?tes also offer incentives and car manufacturers even offer rebates o? discounts.

Most incentives ?ffset ? percentage of the incremental cost of the vehicle (the additi?nal dollars OEMs charge for the AFV versus ? conventional mod?l). Federal and state laws al?o help keep t?e cost of alternative fuels competitive with gas?line or diesel.

Consider t?e following examples ?f stat? offered incentives:

In California, AFVs can ?se the High Occupancy Vehicle lan? regardless of th? number of passengers in th? ?ar. Plus, ?n s?me places, AFVs even get fre? metered parking.

Texas i? giving schools and school districts grants to convert school vehicles ?uch as buses to an AFV. The stat? ?lso provides a t?x break du?ing licensing and registr?tion fo? the owner of an AFV.

Florida also off?rs ?n exemption to t?e driver of an AFV allowing t?em to t?avel in the High O?cupancy Vehicle lane regardless ?f ?ow many passengers are in the car. They ar? als? exempt fro? a portion of taxes levied on fuel.

When people who ha?e AFVs and g? to fuel them at approv?d fueling stations, they are exempt from all state and local excise ?nd use tax?s plac?d on the fuel.

And that’s ?ust a sampling. Almost all states have federal grants and funding specific?lly allocated to m?ke a switch for all government vehicles in?luding h?avy equipment, bu?es, and taxis to become alternative fuel vehicles. States ar? ?ncreasingly aware of the damage that car emissi?ns can cause and they a?e taking steps to make their states environ?entally friendly and healthier.

So ?e know that ?wning an AFV is a good de?ision both ecologically a? well as financially from a fu?l standpoint. But what d? these vehicles cost you? Well, you will ?e paying more for ?n AFV than for a regular gasoline powered car. Conside? the follo?ing table:

Vehicle
AFV Option
Gas Only Option
Ford Escape
$23,320
$18,145
Lexus GS 450h
$55,615
$46,279
Chevrolet Silverado
$25,525
$12,268
Honda Accord
$31,685
$18,210


Of course, prices will vary according t? your locat?on, but y?u can s?e that, ?n general an AFV will cost you more up f?ont than a ga?oline powered car. However, you could al?o be saving a lot ?f m?ney on your fuel and helping k?ep the environment cle?n and the world thriving for a longer time.

You can also convert a regular gasolin? powered car t? ?n AFV. A ?onverted veh?cle is on? th?t w?s ?uilt to operate on gasoline or diesel ?ut is modified to run ?n alternative fuels, s?ch as com?ressed natural gas o? propane the two most c?mmon types of fu?l conversions.

The Environmental Protection Agency has very spec?fic crit?ria as to how a car must ?e converted t? an AFV. All vehicle conversions must be certif?ed according to Mobile Sou?ce Enforcem?nt Memorandum 1A (Memo 1A), the Addendum to Memo 1A, and the Revision to t?e Addendum t? Memo 1A, which were iss?ed by EPA.

A dedicated converted vehicl? is one th?t operates only on ?n alternative fuel o? ? dual fu?l wh?ch ?eans th?t they can operate on either an alternative fuel or gasoline. These types of vehicles ha?e s?parate tanks and fuel systems fo? ?ach fuel.

Bi-fuel vehicles ?re those designed to ?un ?n combin?tions of an alternative fu?l along with ? conventional fuel lik? gasoline. Dual fuel syste?s allow the use of only one fuel at a time, but bi-fu?l systems supply both fuels ?nto the combustion chamber tat the sa?e time.

The Environmental Protection Agen?y certifies conve?ted v?hicles rather th?n t?e conversion s?stems or conversion kits. The EPA refers to ? fuels conve?ter as a small volume manufacturer that holds the certificate to perform a conversion. An individual w?o wants to have ? ?ehicle converted to r?n on an alternative mu?t do s? through a c?mpany asso?iated with a certificate holder.

The companies ?r organizations that w?uld hold Certificates of Conformity issued ?y the EPA would include the designer of the conversi?n eq?ipment, t?e producer or manufacturers of the equipment and the ?erson who plans t? perf?rm the installations.

It is the responsibil?ty ?f the certificate holder t? insure that t?e equipment is pr?perly installed and that t?e system is s?fe, durable, and results in t?e vehicle m?eting the emission standards of the original model ?ear of the vehicle.

Converting ? gas-powered vehicle to an AFV i? not an easy process, so unless you ar? ?n experienc?d mechan?c, you should leave the conver?ion u? to professionals. Conversion involves changing the fuel cells, the gas t?nk, hoses, and such. The cost will vary, but e?pect to pay somewhere around $4,000 t? $6,000.

There are some incentives that stat?s are offering consumers for conversions. Many mechanics who do conversions will probably ?now abo?t ?pecific grants for this, but you can also check w?th your st?te or loc?l government’s websit? to see wh?t types of inc?ntives ?re offered.

Electric Cars

There are also several other types of AFVs t?at a?e be?oming more and m?re popular. First, there is t?e electric vehicle. This ca? is ex?ctly w?at it ?ays it is. You plug it into an electrical outlet to charge the battery and then dri?e without using any fuel at all. However, these ve?icles are generally not meant to travel long distances. But ? little history may help clear t?e air,

Believe ?t or not, ele?tric cars have been ar?und f?r a very long time. In the ?arly 1900s, ther? were more electric cars than t?ere we?e gasoline-powered cars. Back in the early 1920’s when vehicles were b?coming mo?e popular, gasoline was ver? expens?ve. It also was h?rd to start a gas?line eng?ne; yo? had t? turn and turn and t?rn ? crank ?n front of the car to get it t? sta?t. There was no ke? to start the car lik? ?e have today.

Gasoline vehicles were also noisy and p?t out lots ?f smoke. T?e cars ?ither ?ad n? mufflers, o? the mufflers didn't do a go?d job. So, electric vehicles wer? ? b?g hit. At one time there were 50,000 ?f them ?n the roads and streets ?f the United States.

But electric ca?s soon faded away li?e the ?orse-drawn ca?riage. New ways to make fuel c?eaply were being discovered. A new inv?ntion called an electric st?rter w?s ?ade. It started an electric car w?th a k?y instead of ? crank. The ?nternal combustion (IC) car could go much farther th?n an electric one. So, IC-powered ?ehicles soon bec?me the main method of transporting people.

When it comes to on? of the n?west old developments in the vehicle industry – electric cars – the fa?ts about them are plentiful and ea?y to come by. This ne? alternative to regular gasoline powered cars ?as ?any people very excited abo?t being abl? to have reliable transportation w?thout damaging the environment. S? what are the facts ab?ut electric cars?

First, there are many types of electric cars ?ou can choose from, but all ?f them ?se an ?lectric moto? that runs on batteries that ?ou recharge. The ?ore batteries yo? have, t?e long?r you can driv? your car. Electric car? come in all different sizes and performan?es. Th?y are aerodynamically more efficient than gasoline powered cars because electricity stored chem?cally is lighter than electric?ty stored electrically.

Another very advantageous fact about electric cars i? that they emit virtually no greenhous? gases into the ?ir and thus run much, much cleaner than many other vehicles. Greenhouse gases contribute t? the depletion of the ozone l?yer that has led to global warming. Electric cars that run on batteries alone produce no pollution at all and thus are very environmentally friendly.

How far can you drive ?n an electric car’s charge? The amazing fact is that el?ctric cars can usually travel for abo?t ? hundred miles befor? needing a charge. T?e batteries gener?lly need charg?d overnight ?nd there ?s a gauge t?at can t?ll you ho? much po?er ?ou have left. They are perfectly fine for city driving and thos? who don’t have t? go long distances on ? r?gular basis.

This next fact about ?lectric cars m?y a?aze you – I know it did me! Some people believe that an el?ctric c?r can’t g? ve?y fast. But the fact is that electric cars have been ?locked ?t over on? hundred miles pe? hour ?nd can g? fro? zero to that in l?ss than nine seconds! This is because electric motors have a very ?igh torque which allows them t? ?ccelerate quickly and travel faster.

There ?re many more facts t? b? found out about electric cars su?h as t?eir price, their range, thei? availability, and their benefits. Finding out these f?cts is ?asy. If you are th?nking about ?uying an ele?tric car, do your res?arch and find one that fits yo?r lifestyle. Most car companies produce ?t l?ast a hybrid type of electri? car th?t runs on ?oth gasoline and electricity, but you can also find total electric cars if you know wher? to look. Just get the facts and then get on the electric car bandwagon. You may ?ust find out y?u like it there!

Now th?t t?ere ?s a push for cleaner “green” cars, electricity ?s once again be?ng lo?ked t? as a way to help ?educe greenhouse gases released into the ai? b? gasoline and electric cars c?uld be one of the answers to thi? problem.

Electric c?rs don't burn gasoline in ?n engine. They use ele?tricity stored on the ?ar in batteries. S?metimes, 12 or 24 batteries, or more, a?e needed t? ?ower the car. Just lik? ? remote-controlled, model electric car, ?lectric c?rs ha?e an electric moto? that turns th? whe?ls and ? battery to run that motor.

To charge an el?ctric car’? batteries, the car is usually plugged in at night. Some electric cars can plug right int? a regular electrical wall outlet. Others need a larger outlet, lik? the kind that ? stove or elect?ic clothes drye? plug into. Electricity, is then stored in the batteries of the c?r.

The batteries can b? lead acid batteries, like the b?tteries ?ou find in our flashlight or ?n regular gasoline cars. The? can ?e ni-c?d (nickel-cadmium) like t?e kind that run portable video r?corders ?r a portable vide? ga?e playe? -- only much larger. Or they can ?e lithium batteries. Better batteries th?t hold more ene?gy and last longer are being develo?ed. In 2016, by the time today's fifth graders ?re ready to drive, electric cars should b? able to travel 150 to 250 mile? ?efore recharging.

Car man?facturers and scientists are ?onstantly coming up wit? new ways t? fuel ou? vehicle? in ? cleaner, more environmentally friendly wa?. The production of the electric car is an exciting one that is being embraced by more and more people every year.

Fuel Cell

A second type of AFV ?s the fuel c?ll ?ehicle. Thes? cars get electric?l energy from a fuel cell instead ?f fr?m a battery. There ?re different kinds of fuel cell vehicle?, but most manufacturers prefer cells that us? ? proton exchange ?embrane that uses hyd?ogen t? produce an electrical current to ?un the motor. The only type of exh?ust with this type ?f vehicle is water – believe it o? not!

So what does ? fuel cell do? Well, it converts the chemic?l energy of a f?el, such as hydrogen, and an oxidant, such a? oxygen, dire?tly to electricity. The principal components of ? fuel cell are catalytically a?tivated electrodes for the fuel (anode) ?nd the oxidant (cathode) and ?n electrolyte to cond?ct ions between the two electrodes.

Fuel ?ells ?re the lifeblo?d ?f alternative energy cars and test?ng th?m can mean the difference between an efficient eng?ne and a less efficient engine. When you conduct regular testing ?f your fuel cells, yo? can ?e sure that the alternative f?el you have chosen to power ?our car is giving you the maximum ?erformance of your alternative car.

In the same vein of emission testing, testing ?f fuel cells can h?lp make sur? that your alternative fu?l is powering you? vehi?le the way it was m?ant to be. Fuel c?ll testing stations can be found online or in your local car suppl? store. When ?ou look for an effective fuel c?ll testing station, you n?ed to consider the brand, the power, and t?e reputation of the company who ?as manufactured it.

Taking a fuel cell and putting it ?nto your altern?tive fuel vehicle during a conversion i? only the first step. Y?u also n?ed to m?ke sure that your fuel cells are effectively able t? pro?ess the h?drogen, propane, or ethanol that you are putting into your car to power it. When you conduct extensive te?ting of you? fuel cells, you can be sure that you have a “green” ve?icle that won’t harm the environment while giving you the po?er and performanc? th?t y?u desire.

Many fuel cell testing stations ?ome with computer readouts s? that there’s no doubt that your fuel cells are oper?ting at their full capacity. T?e advantage to these fu?l c?ll testing stations is that you will be able to identify any problems and th?n fix them before they become ? problem.

Technology has come a long way in recent years. Fuel cell testing is broug?t d?wn to almost an exact science just as tuning ? car engine that isn’t working with alternative fuels. This is the best t?ing you can do for ?our alternative fuel vehicle. T?sting t?e fuel ?ells will ?nsure that you have a ca? that ?s operating to do ?hat it is supposed to do – red?ce harmful emissions and provide transportation without harming the environment.

Ethanol IC

Not t? be out d?ne ethanol powered IC vehicles h?ve also been around a long time. Th? fi?st cars produced by Henry Fo?d were alcohol powered. Th? way Henry figured it, IC cars ne?ded a fuel source and what did ev?ry farm at the tim? have that could be used as fuel. You guessed it – moonshine. Every farm in t?e area had ? still producing fuel gr?de ethanol. In fact ethanol was c?eaper t? ?roduce then moonshine.

But t?at didn't last long, Rockefeller dec?ded that cars s?ould be powered by gas?line. That made sense, he owned all the ?il fields ?nd at t?e time gasoline was a waste produce for oil processing. T?e problem was alco?ol w?s cheaper to produce and d?stribute then gasoline. It's hard to compet? with a f?ee distribution ?enter t?at i? access?d ?y ev?ry road. There were no gas stat?ons pumping gas but there were lots of farmers producing ethanol. S? what i? a good corporate man supposed to do. You guessed it – support Prohibition ?nd that is exactly what he did. In ? ?hort time ethanol was ?n s?ort supply but ?ou could buy gasoline. The rest i? history.
Ethanol is prob?bly t?e mo?t well kn?wn alternative fuel in th? world toda? as it has be?n being developed for years. Ethanol i? ?lso known a? grain alcohol beca?se it is made most often with corn. Using ethanol a? an alternative fuel is ? great way to ?elp the environment and ?ur farmers too.

Currently there is ?n alternative fuel ethanol product on the market called E85. E85 i? made from 85 percent ethan?l and 15 p?rcent alcohol. There are many cars that ?an run on E85 fuel ?nd while ?t isn’t completel? environmentally ?afe, it is still a viable alternative fuel in the marketplace.

Ethanol is a type ?f alco?ol that has been conve?ted a? ? source of alternative fuel fo? vehicle?. Ethanol is ?ometimes called grain ?lcohol and is generally m?de in the United States from corn. It can also be ?ade from organ?c materials including agricultural crops and ?aste, plant ?aterial left from logging, and trash including paper.

Brazil, which is b? far the largest producer in the world, makes ethanol fr?m sug?r c?ne. Projects are now underway in California to convert so?e of the state's agricultural waste, like rice stra? that is now b?rned in fields, into eth?nol. Ethanol as an alternative fuel ?as really come ? long way from the “drawing table” into reality.

In reality, the alcohol found in alcoholic bever?ges i? ethanol. Howeve?, t?e ethanol used f?r moto? f?el is denatured, which means poison has been added so people can't dr?nk ?t.
Some people believe that ethanol takes m?re energy t? make than ?hat it gives b?ck and fo? t?e most part, t?is i? untrue. It's true that without the cu?rent sub?ides the cost of alco?ol ?s greater then produ?tion of gasoline from o?l. But ask yours?lf what is t?e subsidy for oil? People don't understand that oil is ?ubsidies. Part of th? milit?ry budget goes to keep shipping lanes open s? oil can be shipped home. This cost helps counties like Chin?, Venezuela, Saudi Arabia, and t?e list goes on. However, technologies ha?e evolved in such a way that it is possible to inc?ease the effi?iency ?f producing ethanol.

Corn ethanol a? an alternative fuel is made today ?y converting th? sta?ch in co?n to sugars and t?en into alcohol ?n ? process of fermenting. A company in Canada, has invented a pr?cess fo? converting agricultural wa?te such as corn stal?s, husks, etc. (co?n "stover") and other cellul?se ri?h plant waste like ?traw into ethanol by using enzymes. The time will come when ethanol will be m?de from organic ?aste that is cur?ently being lost.

Using ethanol as an alternative f?el is only a part of the alternative f?el tr?nd. There are many other alternative fuels being developed ?n the “green” ?ovement. The reality i? that ethanol provides the most promi?e in use a? an alternative fu?l. It will be developed by leaps and bounds over the years ?nd w? predict it will become THE alternativ? fuel of the future.

As we’?e ?aid, running a car ?n an altern?tive fuel could save you money in the long run es?ecially a? fuel costs rise. Next we'll take ? more in-depth look at alternative fuels and ho? t?ey will help you ?s well ?s our world.