Article By Alan Hutt - 1-Oct-2009
Environmentally Friendly Cars - What Lies Ahead
Electric, hybrid, bio-ethanol, fuel cell? Which is best? Are the green technologies being considered by manufacturers really green? Pressure is being applied to manufacturers to work out the answers to these questions, and each company seems to have a different way to innovate. If you thought Betamax vs VHS was a battle, it will be nothing compared to the technology arms race in the car market over the next few years.
Most manufacturers have been exploiting cleaner greener technologies for a while now, driven mainly by the European Community emissions directives. The added pressure of the recession means that they have to try to be green and cheap. No wonder that they cannot seem to agree on the best green option for the environment, the wallet, and in terms of infrastructure to deliver green systems.
Biofuel
Possibly the easiest way to make a car greener is by mixing in a renewable fuel, such as ethanol. You don't need to upgrade cars, most typical petrol cars will tolerate up to 15% ethanol when mixed with petrol. More modern cars come equipped with the ability to handle variable mixtures of ethanol and petrol, and some petrol forecourts, such as those at Morrison supermarkets, offer a Bio-fuel alternative.
Currently the lowest emission fuel available for diesel engines is bio-diesel. Most diesel engines can transition 100% to run on bio-diesel, however, the use of bio-diesel can cause problems because it removes all of the built-up residue in an engine which can clog filters and cause breakdowns, leading to costly repairs.
Many environmental experts point to the growth in use of Bio-fuels as a reason for growing food prices, with farmers chasing greater profits from bio-fuel crops than food crops. The argument goes that in order to have a low environmental impact, bio-fuels should be made only from waste products, or from new sources - for example algae. Most of the big names in the motor industry produce bio fuel vehicles including Chrysler, Ford and Volvo.
Electric
Electric vehicles have been around since the 1920s, and are commonly seen on the streets of the UK in the form of milk floats. Electric cars by their design do not need Petrol or Diesel to run, although some manufacturers do believe a fossil fuel / electric hybrid to be the greenest route. Hybrids are certainly proving to be popular, with the hybrid technology used on the Toyota Prius arguably soon to become an industry standard. Electric motors often achieve 90% energy conversion efficiency. They can also use regenerative braking systems to convert movement energy back into stored electricity. This can be used to reduce brake system wear and the total energy requirement of a trip.
At face value electric cars seem the logical step forward. Ford are working with the Californian Electricity Utility company SCG to examine how an electric car could work for consumers. Of course, if the electricity that is generated comes from fossil fuels, it's still arguably less green than it can be. Electric cars are appearing more and more on UK roads with many major manufacturers (Citroen, Fiat etc) investing heavily in promoting their green alternatives.
Fuel Cells
A fuel cell is a device that converts electricity from fuel and an oxidant, which react in the presence of an electrolyte. The reactants flow into the cell, and the reaction products flow out of it, while the electrolyte remains within it.
Many combinations of fuels and oxidants are possible. A hydrogen fuel cell uses hydrogen as its fuel and oxygen (usually from air) as its oxidant. Other fuels include hydrocarbons and alcohols. Other oxidants include chlorine and chlorine dioxide.
The most visible development in hydrogen fuel cell technology has bene made by Honda, with the The Honda FCX Clarity winning World Green Car of 2009. However, the infrastructure needed to house hydrogen is expensive to set up and maintain, which means that mass transport is unlikely to occur through this method.
Encouraging "Greener Driving"
Fiat have produced a form of consumer telemetry, called the EcoDrive. EcoDrive analyses the driving style and offers suggestions on how to drive more "ecologically". The data is stored on a USB stick which is compatible with Fiats' Blue&Me system, and can then be transferred to your PC for further analysis. Given that most cars tend to run most efficiently at 56 mph, it seems like a gimmick to me, but I'm sure that other people have fun with it.
If a new green car is beyond your means remember you can help save Co2 simply by using recycled car parts.