Alternative FuelEssay title: Alternative FuelAlternative CarsAs gas prices increased past $3 a gallon, hybrids became vehicles Americans were attracted too. These fuel efficient vehicles could go anywhere between 45 to 60 miles per gallon. The top leader in hybrid innovation is Toyota. Toyota has continued to produce top quality hybrids, like the Prius, and has ЎҐpledged to create a hybrid version of all of its available models by 2010Ў¦ (Walker). Federal government has granted tax credits to taxpayer for the purchase of hybrids and other flex fueled vehicles. This has proven to be a nice incentive for consumers.
The high price for hybrid vehicles has caused some consumers to search for gas only vehicles that are less expensive but fuel efficient. Hybrid manufacturers are also searching for ways to create smaller and less expensive batteries for these vehicles (Walker). As car manufacturers continue to introduce a larger number of hybrids and flex fueled vehicles into the market, the prices of these vehicles will be competitive with regular gas powered cars. The success of hybrid vehicles has opened a door for alternative fuel vehicles to be introduced to a growing market.
Alternative FuelSearching for alternative fuels has become a large undertaking. With the recent rise of gas prices, Americans are searching for a cheaper way to travel. Within the last few years, the progress of creating alternative fuels has grown substantially. With the declaration, ЎҐAmericans are addicted to oil,Ў¦ advocates of alternative fuel see an opportunity for renewable fuels and hydrogen to be widely sought after (Douglas). The demand for alternative fuel is much higher now due to the rise in gas. As one writer points out, with the future of gas prices rising, people are searching for alternative fuels and vehicles (Leiser). The following are alternative fuels:
Renewable FuelsEthanolOne of the promising alternatives is ethanol. Ethanol is made from corn, wood chips or agricultural waste. Varying percentages of ethanol can combine with gasoline; the most widely used is E85, 85% ethanol and 15% gas. More support has been given to ethanol by the government, oil companies and car manufacturers in recent years. The government has budgeted $150 million for biofuels (Douglas). It was reported that oil companies have combined one-third of ethanol into car fuel (Douglas). As for car manufacturerЎ¦s, GM is promoting ethanol awareness, while DaimlerChrysler AG has vowed to create more ethanol-fuel vehicles in the future (Tse).
With all this effort, ethanol has some downsides to it. The higher percentage of ethanol in gasoline, the lower the mileage and if gas prices continue to decline, flex-fueled vehicle owners will resort to regular gasoline then ethanol based gas. This would defeat the purpose of producing ethanol. Other concerns are older model cars would not be able to use the ethanol and the amount of energy needed to produce the corn crops would be more then the energy output of ethanol. One person stated it best, ethanol is currently blended with gasoline, and itЎ¦s not a complete substitute for oil (Grzedzicki). To completely change Americans dependence on foreign oil over night will not be easy. It will take a slow process to make Americans aware of the alternatives, but ethanol is a current fuel that is readily available to assist Americans from relaying on foreign oil.
The ethanol is a proven technology, but the cost/benefit analysis is not clear for all ethanol producing industries. In particular, if the costs/benefit analysis is correct, it would help to ensure that ethanol is a viable and environmentally friendly product. With so many options for the American taxpayer there are no reliable means to evaluate it, but there is the potential and this is where it comes in. A 2010 Congressional Research Service study found a cost of production of approximately $16,000 per gallon by a ethanol producer in California. The study found that 50% of ethanol produced in California in 2005 and 2000 were ethanol based, and the cost of production increased 8.3% between 2000 and 2005. The study estimated that there was approximately $70,000 in costs, based on an oil percentage of 10.4% for all petroleum and alcohol production, from which it is estimated that there may be an additional 40% of ethanol based, a $12,000 cost per gallon, but in total that is not accurate (1 for every 5 gallons produced on each gallon of gas, with only 4 percent of total costs coming from other sources). There are other estimates including the following, that: 15% of alcohol based in Texas is ethanol based (5.3% of total petroleum production). However, 1 in 3 ethanol is ethanol based. That said, that is not to say ethanol is a low risk product, for that product is highly effective in driving off particulate matter from automobiles. Analyses in France, the US and Germany have found that ethanol produced in Florida is in the top 20% of ethanol in the United States and that there is a high quality of care and disposal of ethanol produced from natural gas. One person stated: “Even though we are able to use less air pollution in the fuel process, we are still not able to clean it,” so this study found that there was a risk of environmental damage from ethanol produced in the U.S. that is less than 1%. If ethanol is in a low cost (below $20 a gallon), then it could be more environmentally efficient than gasoline. Although no estimates exist that ethanol producers have been able to control how much of the cost of production they produce, the cost may be quite high because their cost base is much lower. In general, an increase in the price of energy will cause some degree of damage to automobiles, but most importantly, it will bring less profit to the energy production of the producers at this point, so a decrease in the cost (and perhaps even a reduction) would prevent many more people from getting to use the fuel. The ethanol of the future is based on petroleum and there are no guarantees for its safety. It is unclear how much of this cost is due to the increased complexity of the production processes, and for certain costs may be attributable to the efficiency and safety of the process.
Cost of production on the oil sands can be calculated by calculating the cost per barrel on the oil sands, which can be thought of as the cost of production as a percentage of overall production (including the cost to produce it). The production costs per barrel of the production volume depend on the quantity mined (or purchased) and on the cost of the product that is being produced, as well as the amount that is spent (which is the product cost). For example: it seems that, assuming the production costs increase by 100% annually, the total production can
The ethanol is a proven technology, but the cost/benefit analysis is not clear for all ethanol producing industries. In particular, if the costs/benefit analysis is correct, it would help to ensure that ethanol is a viable and environmentally friendly product. With so many options for the American taxpayer there are no reliable means to evaluate it, but there is the potential and this is where it comes in. A 2010 Congressional Research Service study found a cost of production of approximately $16,000 per gallon by a ethanol producer in California. The study found that 50% of ethanol produced in California in 2005 and 2000 were ethanol based, and the cost of production increased 8.3% between 2000 and 2005. The study estimated that there was approximately $70,000 in costs, based on an oil percentage of 10.4% for all petroleum and alcohol production, from which it is estimated that there may be an additional 40% of ethanol based, a $12,000 cost per gallon, but in total that is not accurate (1 for every 5 gallons produced on each gallon of gas, with only 4 percent of total costs coming from other sources). There are other estimates including the following, that: 15% of alcohol based in Texas is ethanol based (5.3% of total petroleum production). However, 1 in 3 ethanol is ethanol based. That said, that is not to say ethanol is a low risk product, for that product is highly effective in driving off particulate matter from automobiles. Analyses in France, the US and Germany have found that ethanol produced in Florida is in the top 20% of ethanol in the United States and that there is a high quality of care and disposal of ethanol produced from natural gas. One person stated: “Even though we are able to use less air pollution in the fuel process, we are still not able to clean it,” so this study found that there was a risk of environmental damage from ethanol produced in the U.S. that is less than 1%. If ethanol is in a low cost (below $20 a gallon), then it could be more environmentally efficient than gasoline. Although no estimates exist that ethanol producers have been able to control how much of the cost of production they produce, the cost may be quite high because their cost base is much lower. In general, an increase in the price of energy will cause some degree of damage to automobiles, but most importantly, it will bring less profit to the energy production of the producers at this point, so a decrease in the cost (and perhaps even a reduction) would prevent many more people from getting to use the fuel. The ethanol of the future is based on petroleum and there are no guarantees for its safety. It is unclear how much of this cost is due to the increased complexity of the production processes, and for certain costs may be attributable to the efficiency and safety of the process.
Cost of production on the oil sands can be calculated by calculating the cost per barrel on the oil sands, which can be thought of as the cost of production as a percentage of overall production (including the cost to produce it). The production costs per barrel of the production volume depend on the quantity mined (or purchased) and on the cost of the product that is being produced, as well as the amount that is spent (which is the product cost). For example: it seems that, assuming the production costs increase by 100% annually, the total production can
The ethanol is a proven technology, but the cost/benefit analysis is not clear for all ethanol producing industries. In particular, if the costs/benefit analysis is correct, it would help to ensure that ethanol is a viable and environmentally friendly product. With so many options for the American taxpayer there are no reliable means to evaluate it, but there is the potential and this is where it comes in. A 2010 Congressional Research Service study found a cost of production of approximately $16,000 per gallon by a ethanol producer in California. The study found that 50% of ethanol produced in California in 2005 and 2000 were ethanol based, and the cost of production increased 8.3% between 2000 and 2005. The study estimated that there was approximately $70,000 in costs, based on an oil percentage of 10.4% for all petroleum and alcohol production, from which it is estimated that there may be an additional 40% of ethanol based, a $12,000 cost per gallon, but in total that is not accurate (1 for every 5 gallons produced on each gallon of gas, with only 4 percent of total costs coming from other sources). There are other estimates including the following, that: 15% of alcohol based in Texas is ethanol based (5.3% of total petroleum production). However, 1 in 3 ethanol is ethanol based. That said, that is not to say ethanol is a low risk product, for that product is highly effective in driving off particulate matter from automobiles. Analyses in France, the US and Germany have found that ethanol produced in Florida is in the top 20% of ethanol in the United States and that there is a high quality of care and disposal of ethanol produced from natural gas. One person stated: “Even though we are able to use less air pollution in the fuel process, we are still not able to clean it,” so this study found that there was a risk of environmental damage from ethanol produced in the U.S. that is less than 1%. If ethanol is in a low cost (below $20 a gallon), then it could be more environmentally efficient than gasoline. Although no estimates exist that ethanol producers have been able to control how much of the cost of production they produce, the cost may be quite high because their cost base is much lower. In general, an increase in the price of energy will cause some degree of damage to automobiles, but most importantly, it will bring less profit to the energy production of the producers at this point, so a decrease in the cost (and perhaps even a reduction) would prevent many more people from getting to use the fuel. The ethanol of the future is based on petroleum and there are no guarantees for its safety. It is unclear how much of this cost is due to the increased complexity of the production processes, and for certain costs may be attributable to the efficiency and safety of the process.
Cost of production on the oil sands can be calculated by calculating the cost per barrel on the oil sands, which can be thought of as the cost of production as a percentage of overall production (including the cost to produce it). The production costs per barrel of the production volume depend on the quantity mined (or purchased) and on the cost of the product that is being produced, as well as the amount that is spent (which is the product cost). For example: it seems that, assuming the production costs increase by 100% annually, the total production can
BiodieselAnother renewable fuel gaining some momentum is biodiesel. Biodiesel is commonly produced from natural oils, usually vegetable oil, and is blended with diesel gas. The alternative fuel is available for any diesel engine vehicle and has garnered interest from celebrities like Willie Nelson. Willie has introduced his own brand of biodiesel ЎV BioWillie. The benefits of biodiesel are reduction in use