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Alternative fuel, also known as non-conventional fuels, is any material or substance, other than petroleum (oil), which is consumed to provide energy to power an engine. Some alternative fuels are biodiesel, ethanol, butanol, chemically stored electricity (batteries and fuel cells), hydrogen, methane, natural gas, wood, and vegetable oil. The need for the development of alternative fuel sources has been growing, due to concerns that the production of oil will no longer supply the demand. See Future energy development for a general discussion.
In a battery or fuel cell powered vehicle, the "fuel" is the set of chemicals which is oxidized and reduced to provide the electricity. In some circumstances, however, electricity may be provided directly to a mobile electric engine, such as an electrified trolley or train, or a magnetically levitated train. In such cases, electricity itself may be treated as an alternative "fuel," since it replaces fuel energy used in transportation. Electricity will be treated as a "fuel" in this article.
Alternative fuel is becoming ever more necessary in this day and age due to global warming, rising gasoline prices, and the increasing pressure put on crude oil stocks. In the year 2000, there were about eight million vehicles around the world that ran on alternative fuels, indicating the increasing popularity of alternative fuels.
Categorization
Some of these come into the category of renewable energy. Renewable energy includes electricity generation for the home, while the term "alternative fuels" tends to refer to mobile energy. Some alternative fuels and the cars they power are:
Gasoline type biofuels
* Butanol as a direct replacement for gasoline
* Mixtures with gasoline E85,
* P-series fuels can be used in any E85 compatible engine
* Hydrogen internal-combustion car (see hydrogen car)
Diesel type biofuels
* Hempseed oil fuel or other Straight vegetable oils
* Biodiesel
Others with internal combustion
* Natural gas, compressed or liquified
* Propane (aka LPG, LP gas)
* Synfuel synthetic fuels
* Plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
External combustion
* Steam engine cars (like the Stanley Steamer)
* Coal-oven steam cars
* Organic waste fuel
* Wood gas on-board gasification
No combustion
* Electric vehicle
* Solar cell powered or charged electric cars
* Tesla's electric car (with antenna)
* Hydrogen fuel cell (see hydrogen car) liquefied or compressed hydrogen
* MAGLEV with induction drive (a variety of electric mass transit)
* Air car working on compressed air
Some less conventional alternative fueled cars are:
* Nuclear powered
* Rubber band (stored energy)
* Spring power or "wind-up car" (stored elastic energy)
* Wind-powered sail cars
Most alternative fuels are designed to be cheap, non-polluting, non-finite sources of energy.
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