Factors Shaping Automobile Propulsion Technology

Automobile Propulsion
Fuel cell vehicles are being developed because they promise to meet the requirements expected of automobiles in a market increasingly constrained by environmental and resource limitations. Air pollution and oil dependence have been persistent challenges for vehicles powered by petroleum fuels (gasoline and diesel). Global warming presents a new challenge in the need to limit carbon dioxide (CO) emissions from fossil fuel combustion. (more…)

Well-to-Pump Energy Efficiencies

Well-to-Pump
The energy efficiencies of various fuel production pathways from well to pump. The efficiencies shown are defined as the energy in a given fuel (available at pumps in vehicle refueling stations) divided by total energy inputs during all Well-to-Pump activities, including the energy content of the fuel. One way to interpret the Well-to-Pump efficiencies in the figure is as the difference between 100% and the energy efficiencies, which roughly represent energy losses during Well-to-Pump stages for making a given fuel available at the pump. As stated in Section 3, Well-to-Pump activities include biomass feedstock production; feedstock transportation and storage; fuel production; and fuel transportation, storage, and distribution. (more…)

Alternative Transportation Fuels And Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Alternative Fuel Vehicles
At present, in the United States and worldwide, motor vehicles are fueled almost exclusively by petroleum based gasoline (or reformulated gasoline) and diesel fuels. Since the first oil price shock in 1973, efforts have been made to seek alternative fuels to displace gasoline and diesel fuels and achieve energy and environmental benefits. Some of the alternative fuels that have been researched and used are liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG), liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol (MeOH), dimethyl ether (DME), Fischer– Tropsch diesel (FTD), hydrogen (H 2 ), ethanol (EtOH), biodiesel, and electricity. Production processes associated with gasoline, diesel, and each of these alternative fuels differ. (more…)

France Presents a Greener Renewable Fuel

The French Union of Petroleum Industries (UFIP) announced that from Wednesday 1 April, the French vehicles may use a new fuel called SP95-E10, which has a 10% ethanol.

The percentage of ethanol fuel is presented in this double the enclosed by traditional unleaded (more…)

Types of Energy Used for Transportation

Gasoline is used mainly by cars, motorcycles, and light trucks; diesel is used mainly by heavier trucks, buses, and trains. Together, gasoline and diesel make up 85% of all the energy used in transportation. There is currently a push to develop vehicles that run on fuels other than petroleum products, or that run on blended fuels. Today, there are some vehicles that run on electricity, natural gas, propane, and ethanol. Hybrid vehicles use much less gasoline than normal vehicles because they also run on electricity part of the time. (more…)

Gasoline Competition from Alternative Fuels

Most alternative fuel vehicles on the road today were originally designed for gasoline, but converted for use with an alternative fuel. Because the petroleum industry has successfully responded to the competitive threats of alternative fuels by developing reformulated gasoline that burn much cleaner, the conversions are typically performed more for economic reasons (when the alternative fuel is less expensive, which has occurred with propane) rather than environmental reasons. (more…)

Sulfur Gasoline as Source of Automotive Emissions

In recent years, there has been a greater understanding of the role of automotive emissions as environmental pollutants. Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides, and carbon monoxide degrade the earth’s atmosphere and are health hazards. Carbon dioxide adds to the atmospheric buildup of greenhouse gases and in turn accelerates the process of global warming. (more…)

Reformulated Gasoline Fuel and MTB

reformulated gasoline fuel
Prior to the Clean Air Act of 1990, environmental issues regulations were aimed at reducing emissions as they left the exhaust system. The catalytic converter has been the primary means of attacking air pollution in this way. After 1990, regulations for the first time undertook to alter the composition of the fuel itself. Reformulated gasoline applies to gasoline that is sold in the nine metropolitan areas designated by the EPA with the highest level of ozone in air pollution problems. About 48 million people reside in areas where ozone concentrations exceed federal standards. (more…)

Gasoline Additive: Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Automotive Emissions

gasoline additive
The development and blending of gasoline additives and petroleum additivies are undertaken for the most part by the petroleum refining industry. Additives are essential to the economic well-being of the industry because they tend to boost sales for gasoline fuel and diesel fuel. In most cases, gasoline additives do not differ in price by more than three to four cents a gallon. The recently developed additives do not necessarily sacrifice fuel efficiency and fuel savings for higher octane numbers. They are multifunctional. In addition to boosting octane ratings they may also clean the engine, which, in turn, leads to greater fuel efficiency. (more…)

The Effects of Hybrid Electric Vehicles to Internal Combustion Engines

hybrid-vehicles
The internal combustion engine has dominated the car and light-truck market for over 100 years. Although remarkable improvements have been made over the past 30 years to reduce air pollution problems to nearly zero and to almost double vehicle efficiency, increasing concerns about global warming and energy security are pushing vehicles toward even greater energy efficiency improvements. (more…)