A Run-down of the Different Types of Fuels

Filling stations nowadays are gearing towards having diverse types of fuels available instead of just gasoline and diesel. In the future the filling stations will have many options for a vehicle owner. Here are a few of the options that could propel your car into the next century, according to an article by Erik Sofge of MSN autos.

SUVs won’t be the only vehicles clogging up the drive at your local filling station. Soon you’ll have vehicles powered by electricity, hydrogen, natural gas and more.

The world of alternative fuels is often seen as a kind of well-intended, winner-take-all death match. Hydrogen will square off against electricity, while ethanol, biodiesel, compressed natural gas and a horde of other up-and-comers wait in the wings, all hoping to become the one true champion of the post-petroleum economy. The reality is likely to be more complex, both for the energy industry and individual drivers, who may be forced to make smart decisions when buying a particular vehicle and when picking a filling station.

From the multicar family to the commercial trucking fleet, the automotive landscape is about to become a more diverse place, with long-range biodiesel trucks sharing garage space with short-trip electric vehicles. Fuel pumps will have to keep up, with more options and more real estate — both above and below ground — to accommodate a range of different storage tanks and safety measures. There will be casualties of the alternative-energy revolution, but here are some of the most likely survivors, along with each fuel’s intended application.

Biodiesel

As diesel gains popularity in the United States, the demand for its biomass-derived cousin is on the rise. Because biodiesel is processed from vegetable and animal fats, it can be used to recycle a wide range of waste material. It’s available in a range of blend percentages — B20, for example, is 20 percent biodiesel and 80 percent diesel, while B100 is all biodiesel. In most cases, each blend requires a separate pump, but Ohio-based Full Circle Fuels has built a special dispenser that blends bio and regular diesel on demand.

Best for: Anyone who wants the benefits of diesel — less fuel burned while idling and lower emissions overall — plus a cleaner conscience. Older vehicles, particularly ones with a high degree of engine buildup, can require servicing to handle biodiesel, and even new models might need to be checked before operating above B20. Also, the higher the blend, the more likely it will void your warranty. Cold-weather drivers should tread lightly, since the higher the blend the more likely the fuel will congeal. That can clog the engine as the fuel starts to crystallize, or prevent the car from starting up at all.
Where to fill up: There are biodiesel filling stations throughout the country, with a small but growing number of drivers taking the more radical step of converting their diesel engines to run on straight vegetable oil (SVO) recycled from restaurants. Cold temperatures are the biggest obstacle to biodiesel and SVO distribution and dispensing, requiring truck deliveries in the short term and, if demand continues to rise, special insulated or heated pipelines in the future.

Ethanol

Corn-based ethanol has taken some well-deserved hits, with experts blaming it for an increase in global food prices. But ethanol derived from other sources, such as switchgrass and municipal waste, is poised to make a comeback, as farmers and energy companies attempt a more responsible, sustainable approach to producing this alternative fuel.
Best for: Owners of flex-fuel vehicles who, by nature, are looking for a long-term bargain. There’s an environmental opportunity as well, since ethanol production has the potential for less of a carbon impact than petroleum-based products.
Where to fill up: The distribution network for ethanol is already in place, and changing the source of the fuel from corn to some other biomass won’t change the dispenser technology or the decisions consumers make at the pump. Some experts believe that flex-fuel vehicles could become as standard as gas-powered engines. This means that ethanol pumps, which are already relatively common, could become as ubiquitous as diesel pumps.

The only waste product of hydrogen-power is water vapor (zero emissions). But the creation of a system of fueling stations like this rare one in Newport Beach, Calif., would cost millions and take decades.

Hydrogen

The great debate over hydrogen is far from over, although the fortunes of this energy source — where electricity is culled from hydrogen and oxygen — may depend on its larger adoption outside the automotive industry. If hydrogen cells become a storage solution for the energy produced by solar panels and wind turbines, then a hydrogen economy could appear in the coming decades, complete with a specialized distribution infrastructure (since the hydrogen must be stored under high pressure), as well as an increase in filling stations.
Best for: Hydrogen vehicles. These are similar to gasoline-powered vehicles in terms of range and performance, so their biggest selling point is their lack of emissions — the only waste product of the fuel cell’s chemical reaction is water vapor. For the foreseeable future, though, the high price of hydrogen vehicles makes them attractive primarily to wealthy early adopters and municipal authorities hoping to reduce their emissions and overall carbon footprint. Even more experimental than fuel-cell vehicles is the prospect of blending hydrogen with natural gas, essentially a last-ditch effort that would negate much of the environmental advantage of using hydrogen, but could reduce the demand for foreign oil.
Where to fill up: For now, there are 65 hydrogen filling stations in the U.S. That number is expected to climb in the next few years, but not by much. With only a few hundred hydrogen vehicles on the road, the demand simply isn’t there. The chances of finding hydrogen next to unleaded gasoline at your local filling station are low, and getting worse by the day. Unlike many other alternative fuels, hydrogen is seen as an all-or-nothing energy source. It requires an incredibly specialized distribution infrastructure that is unable to piggyback on the existing petroleum network — the delivery trucks are different, and so are the pipelines — and appears viable only as part of a national transition to renewable power sources. In other words, if hydrogen moves out of the pilot stage and into a filling station near you, it won’t be sharing real estate with petroleum-based fuels. It would replace them.

Electricity

The momentum for battery-powered vehicles — both all-electric and hybrid models — appears unstoppable. American carmakers are finally rising to Toyota’s challenge, offering steadily cheaper and more efficient models. To prepare for an influx of plug-ins, politicians have called for upgrades to the country’s power grid, based on the assumption that drivers will charge their vehicles at home, overnight. But some will want to refuel on the road, either topping up their batteries to avoid turning on the gas engine, or recharging their all-electric vehicles out of necessity. The prospect of recharging stations is complex and a little confusing. Some experts have proposed removable battery packs that can be quickly swapped out for a fully charged pack, while others predict that drivers will simply have to wait at a rest stop for an hour or more as their parked cars remain plugged in. This is seen primarily as a business dilemma, and however the market sorts itself out, the technological hurdles are relatively minor.
Best for: Battery-powered vehicles are most efficient — and most affordable — as small, short-range cars. Companies such as Zap! are already marketing their all-electric models as ideal second cars for daily errands and short commutes, with zero emissions and practically no fuel cost (less than a dollar to charge). As the technology becomes more robust, electric vehicles are still likely to remain short-range, everyday vehicles, and could become a necessity for urban drivers in cities such as London, where petroleum-powered automobiles are charged a steep congestion tax.
Where to fill up: Recharging stations will appear only if plug-ins become extremely common, and even then, many gas stations or other businesses could supply multiple vehicles with electricity without upgrading their infrastructure. Some equipment may be necessary to determine how much power is being supplied and what it should cost, but the short-term solution is likely to be ad hoc and disorganized. Unless electric vehicles are supplanted by hydrogen fuel cells or some other petroleum-free, zero-emissions technology, the gas stations of the world will gradually adopt some form of recharging.

Other Gases

In a field packed with fringe fuels, compressed natural gas (CNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are among the least-talked-about alternative fuels. Honda is making a push for natural-gas-powered cars with its Civic GX, and with T. Boone Pickens still making the case for a combination of CNG and wind power to wean the United States off foreign oil, people are starting to pay attention. In theory, the domestic reserves are already in place. Honda is selling refilling stations that use your home’s existing gas lines. LPG, which can include propane and butane, is somewhat common in Europe, where many vehicles work on both LPG and petroleum, but it requires an extensive conversion to work with vehicles in the U.S.
Best for: Both CNG and LPG are cheaper than gasoline, and vehicles using them have comparable range and performance — the Honda Civic GX, for example, gets up to 225 miles on a full tank. And in both cases, emissions are significantly less than a standard gas engine. The biggest concern for these vehicles is maintenance, since most mechanics aren’t certified to service a CNG- or LPG-powered vehicle.
Where to fill up: The second-biggest problem with these vehicles is refueling. Converted LPG cars can be gassed up wherever butane or propane (depending on which one it runs on) is sold, but that requires planning. Natural-gas-powered vehicles are designed to slowly refuel at home, overnight, much like all-electric cars. It would be relatively easy for gas stations to begin offering LPG and CNG as standard products, but for CNG that still means waiting hours as the gas is pressurized inside the tank. Creating a large network of high-pressure CNG hookups is feasible, but only if this technology became extremely popular. Until either LPG or CNG can create the same kind of visibility and interest as battery-powered vehicles and even ethanol, the infrastructure isn’t going to bother catching up.

Based out of the Boston area, Erik Sofge is frequent contributor to Popular Mechanics and Slate.com. He specializes in everything scientific and technical.