Alternative energy sources are a major topic of debate for the auto industry, but manufacturers are beginning to make the investment to protect themselves against the inevitable collapse of the oil industry. With electric vehicles (EVs) like the Tesla taking the industry by storm, other major manufacturers such as BMW, Volkswagen, Jaguar, and General Motors have begun EV and plug-in hybrid initiatives. Electric cars have a long history and many of the problems they faced in the early days are still the problems they face today, albeit to a lesser extent. Believe it or not, about a third of the cars were electric at the turn of the century. Its smooth, simple operation and minimal moving parts made EVs very attractive over the early gas-powered alternatives. Their limited range, however, constrained them to highly urban areas where charging stations were readily available. Still, it looked like the EV industry was a competitive player among its gas powered-cousins. So what happened?
In those days, the consensus was simply that sales agents of early electrics simply over-promised and underdelivered, as their claims of performance and range rivaling that of gasoline cars fell short of the technology of the time. Ever since the mid-1990’s it has seemed as though electric cars were on the brink of mass adoption, but progress has been slower than anticipated. Changes in policy, technology, and consumer tastes have all played a part. According to Scott LeVine, assistant professor of Geography at SUNY New Paltz and transportation planner, the problem of electric cars is that they simply have less of a value proposition than gasoline powered cars as the perceived risk of consumers is just too high for the moment. Part of the problem is that consumers simply aren’t ready to make the switch.
A possible solution to this is to bridge the gap with more easily accepted and applied biofuels. Son of the founder of the famous Cummins Engine Company, C. Lyle Cummins Jr. published a book Internal Fire chronicling the history and development of the internal combustion engine. He cites that some of the very first engines were run on alcohols and natural oils like vegetable oil and turpentine (Cummins 77). Ethanol and biodiesel have the best chances of becoming mainstream as ethanol performs similarly to gasoline and biodiesel is a direct replacement for conventional diesel, needing zero modifications to existing diesel engines. In fact, the United States began injecting ethanol into the gasoline sold at pumps, so all gasoline powered cars can currently run on 10% ethanol. A publication from PBS summarizes that biodiesel can be made from waste vegetable oil or animal fat and over its lifecycle (from production to combustion) yields 78% less CO2 emissions than petroleum diesel. Having the highest energy density of any transportation fuel while being less toxic than table salt, biodiesel is easily the most environmentally friendly ICE fuel (Biodiesel, PBS).
Similarly, some of the first engines ran on alcohol fuels such as ethanol. Ethanol is derived from plants such as corn or sugarcane, and is the same type of alcohol found in alcoholic beverages. While most engines produced today are guaranteed to run on a 10% ethanol 90% gasoline blend, only flex-fuel equipped engines are capable of running safely on higher percentages of ethanol. While its molar energy density is slightly lower than that of gasoline, its higher octane rating and excellent thermal characteristics make it ideal for the high-compression or turbocharged engines that are trending in the industry as engineers strive for higher efficiencies. These characteristics have also made it ideal for those seeking high performance out of their engines such as the Motorsports and aftermarket industries. The use of alternative energy sources for personal transportation is a hotly debated and often misunderstood topic in the eyes of the general public. If manufacturers could embrace and promote these benefits to help change the public perception of biofuels, we could more effectively reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
References
“Biodiesel 101.” PBS, Jumpstart Productions, 2010, www.pbs.org/now/shows/302/biodiesel.html.
Levine, Scott. Personal Interview. 8 April 2019.
Cummins, C.Lyle. Internal Fire. Lake Oswego, Or. : Carnot Press, 1976., 1976.