Sky-high petrol/gas and diesel prices can be avoided by following a new concept which allows your car to run on water. Yes, you heard correctly, water! The concept involves you carrying out a few simple do-it-yourself steps to modifying your existing car, enabling your car to use the atomic power of hydrogen in the water as its' main source of engine power.
Here are the facts:
You can safely convert your car yourself, using existing household tools and materials from any local hardware store.
The conversion process is 100% reversible so won't affect your car manufacturer's warranty.
Using water to operate electric/mechanical devices was demonstrated at the 2008 consumer electronics show in Las Vegas, with a new water-based laptop charger.
1000's of cars have already been modified to run on water.
Running your car on water increases your travelling distances by 40%-50% in comparison to petrol/gas or diesel.
Using the hydrogen in water as your car engine's power supply makes your car much more friendly on the environment.
You can make money by legally charging people to convert their cars, once you've converted your own.
The process is 100% safe because the hydrogen is only created when needed, as opposed to large quantities of hydrogen being compressed, which may become flammable.
Save money and "make money" when you learn how to modify your car to accept water as fuel. Not only will your new fuel supply last twice as long, the cost of it will be slashed, saving you thousands per year. Once you've modified the cars of your close friends and family, news of your expertise may prompt their friends to pay you to modify their cars as well, knowing it will save them money in the long run.
Download your very own do-it-yourself car conversion guide from driveyourcarwithwater.co.uk and learn how you can modify your car to run on water.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mason_Ifejika
Tuesday 20 April 2010
Monday 19 April 2010
Do Forecourts Encourage Petrol Theft? Stealing Petrol is on the Increase
You are sitting in a pub and someone suggests they can fill your car up to the brim with petrol for £20.00. How come it is so cheap, they might tell you " We work for vehicle transporters and need to empty petrol tanks for safety". You personally may not buy this generous offer of a tank full of petrol but someone will and thousands probably do.
How do they really do it? - They take your car and stick on some false number plates and pop into your friendly local filling station or garage and fill up YOUR car. They know where the CCTV camera is and are skilled in not getting caught on camera. Hoods are great camera shelters! Your car is full of petrol and it has transformed itself into a 'get away' car or some boy racers' lethal weapon.
These modern day 'Robin Hood' types seem to think that apart from lining their pockets ( to buy drugs probably ) they are helping the man in the street by filling his car with cheap petrol.
When they decide not to do the pub rounds because they have sufficient funds until the next day, they may choose to steal a car, in fact we don't know for sure whether they cut a duplicate key from your car whilst they where helping you!
Imagine waking up in the morning to find your car ... and your cheap fuel gone.
The nightmare begins. They are in a stolen car full of stolen petrol, who knows what havoc they are about to create?. Death and carnage could be the result of their fix.
Whilst I was sitting in my local petrol station, I watched innocent people going about their business. Children and elderly buying treats from the mini-mart whilst business people and parents were putting petrol in their cars and vans. I saw a car screech out, I doubt if fuel had been stolen because nothing else happened, having said that, we don't know what the company rules are or indeed the procedure in relation to the theft of petrol. Do they just call the police with as much information as possible .. or get on the their job because when the police arrive, there is nobody else to deal with the police. This means they lose far more money closing down whilst the police take statements etc, than the actual stolen petrol.
Do they bang a big red button, which in turn records the vehicle and notifies the police? But all that aside, a child or granny could have been killed. The police are now in pursuit ... it doesn't bear thinking what could happen next.
A multiple collision on the motorway, a crowd at a bus stop mowed down - because the thieves naturally want to escape arrest.
My thoughts turned to a system that could prevent the theft of petrol. In essence if something was in place to stop cars from leaving, and it was obvious that such barriers were in situ, this event probably would not exist. Bank robbery is now rare because of the CCTV and those guillotine like shutters that drop down like a thunder bolt. Okay, I accept that barriers and shutters are a total inconvenience to the 99.9% of people who pay for their petrol and are out of the question. Then I remembered an article that the Customs and Excise had fitted something called 'CatsClaw" at the docks in Dover.
I embarked upon a mission, I searched for the system and the Customs people where more than happy to boast of their new weapon to stop drivers speeding off when passengers were asked to stop for a search. The device is set into the road and operated remotely by an officer. When activated, blades deflate all tyres and immobilise the vehicle.... Simple !! Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me where I could get more information, security reasons you know.
If it is good enough for our Ports, Docks and Harbours, should we want to know why the big petrol filling stations aren't using it.?
If I were in their shoes I would say that it is better to allow someone to drive off than detain a raging bull but if they knew Catsclaw was in operation then they wouldn't steal petrol in the first place. What does it take?
A channel across the exit route for the catsclaw to remain safe until activated and some effective signage.
Obviously thieves would look for other exits and some outdoor landscaping would easily fill those.
We all want to protect our family and friends from lunatics driving with stolen petrol and I don't want my petrol bills increased to pay for the cost of stolen petrol. I want the petrol stations to act now!
pyZc_H88ghdJkBJ7
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Digby_Farquart
How do they really do it? - They take your car and stick on some false number plates and pop into your friendly local filling station or garage and fill up YOUR car. They know where the CCTV camera is and are skilled in not getting caught on camera. Hoods are great camera shelters! Your car is full of petrol and it has transformed itself into a 'get away' car or some boy racers' lethal weapon.
These modern day 'Robin Hood' types seem to think that apart from lining their pockets ( to buy drugs probably ) they are helping the man in the street by filling his car with cheap petrol.
When they decide not to do the pub rounds because they have sufficient funds until the next day, they may choose to steal a car, in fact we don't know for sure whether they cut a duplicate key from your car whilst they where helping you!
Imagine waking up in the morning to find your car ... and your cheap fuel gone.
The nightmare begins. They are in a stolen car full of stolen petrol, who knows what havoc they are about to create?. Death and carnage could be the result of their fix.
Whilst I was sitting in my local petrol station, I watched innocent people going about their business. Children and elderly buying treats from the mini-mart whilst business people and parents were putting petrol in their cars and vans. I saw a car screech out, I doubt if fuel had been stolen because nothing else happened, having said that, we don't know what the company rules are or indeed the procedure in relation to the theft of petrol. Do they just call the police with as much information as possible .. or get on the their job because when the police arrive, there is nobody else to deal with the police. This means they lose far more money closing down whilst the police take statements etc, than the actual stolen petrol.
Do they bang a big red button, which in turn records the vehicle and notifies the police? But all that aside, a child or granny could have been killed. The police are now in pursuit ... it doesn't bear thinking what could happen next.
A multiple collision on the motorway, a crowd at a bus stop mowed down - because the thieves naturally want to escape arrest.
My thoughts turned to a system that could prevent the theft of petrol. In essence if something was in place to stop cars from leaving, and it was obvious that such barriers were in situ, this event probably would not exist. Bank robbery is now rare because of the CCTV and those guillotine like shutters that drop down like a thunder bolt. Okay, I accept that barriers and shutters are a total inconvenience to the 99.9% of people who pay for their petrol and are out of the question. Then I remembered an article that the Customs and Excise had fitted something called 'CatsClaw" at the docks in Dover.
I embarked upon a mission, I searched for the system and the Customs people where more than happy to boast of their new weapon to stop drivers speeding off when passengers were asked to stop for a search. The device is set into the road and operated remotely by an officer. When activated, blades deflate all tyres and immobilise the vehicle.... Simple !! Unfortunately they wouldn't tell me where I could get more information, security reasons you know.
If it is good enough for our Ports, Docks and Harbours, should we want to know why the big petrol filling stations aren't using it.?
If I were in their shoes I would say that it is better to allow someone to drive off than detain a raging bull but if they knew Catsclaw was in operation then they wouldn't steal petrol in the first place. What does it take?
A channel across the exit route for the catsclaw to remain safe until activated and some effective signage.
Obviously thieves would look for other exits and some outdoor landscaping would easily fill those.
We all want to protect our family and friends from lunatics driving with stolen petrol and I don't want my petrol bills increased to pay for the cost of stolen petrol. I want the petrol stations to act now!
pyZc_H88ghdJkBJ7
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Digby_Farquart
Sunday 18 April 2010
How to Save Gas and Money With Proven Techniques
Saving gas has become more than a nice way to economize; it has become a top priority with prices of gasoline and greenhouse emissions being what they are. As someone who managed multiple gas stations for one of the largest oil companies in the world, and as an ASE certified owner of an auto repair shop, I heard nearly every question on how to save gas and money you could possibly imagine. More importantly, I learned what works and what doesn't. As a result, I get 41 miles per gallon, highway, on a car that is EPA rated for 36 miles per gallon. When my wife drives the same car with all else being the same she gets 33 miles to the gallon.
1. Does filling up in the morning really save gas?
Absolutely! Gasoline expands and contracts with temperature changes. A tank can show 20 gallons of gasoline in the morning, have some gasoline taken out, and yet still show the same level of gasoline in the afternoon! Here's the thing; gas is sold by volume, so one gallon of cold gas will give the mileage of perhaps 1.1 gallons of warm gas (by way of example), but you're paying for just one gallon! Leave the house a little early and fill your tank up in the early morning when it's the coolest. And, of course, look for the lowest prices at REPUTABLE filling stations. A clean exterior usually means clean gasoline.
2. Does topping off the tank more often when prices are going up save gas and money?
What it does is save money ON gas. This may be hard to understand, but here goes: When evaluating any inventory that you are depleting, you want to take into account the cost of replacing that inventory. Suppose you use a gallon a day, you have a 22 gallon tank, and prices go up an average of one cent a day. Hopefully you're never letting the tank get lower than the last two gallons, so you go twenty gallons between refills. If you wait the full twenty days to fill up, you will spend 20 cents more per gallon, equaling an extra $4.00. But, if you'd been topping off each day, instead of 20 cents more for each gallon you will have paid one cent extra the first day, 2 cents extra the second day, etc., until at the end of the same twenty-day period you find that you've spent only $2.10 extra FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF GAS! That may not sound like much, but multiply that out for the year and it adds up. Furthermore, ask yourself this: If you were told by a gas station attendant that the pumps on the left would give you the same amount of gas but would cost you almost $2.00 less per fill-up than using the pumps on the right, which pumps would you use? Of course, the opposite holds true when prices are going down. In that case, which is all too rare, you would save money by waiting until you're nearly empty because each day that passes yields greater savings in cost per gallon.
3. Does proper tire inflation really save gas?
Not only does proper tire inflation save money on gas, but it can also save your life. Improper inflation is a leading cause of tire failure, but we're not talking about getting a flat tire - we're talking about catastrophic tire failure, where the tire explodes, disintegrates, or plain comes off of the rim while you're driving. Remember the Firestone/Ford debacle? Firestone's claim was that Ford was not using the originally recommended tire pressure, causing some serious accidents. That said, underinflated tires put more rubber on the pavement, increasing road friction, AND hindering the tire's ability to dissipate the heat from road friction, which causes a vicious cycle of creating even more friction and heat. The friction will hurt your fuel economy and the heat will hurt your tires - which in turn may hurt you if the tire fails.
4. I understand a dirty air filter hurting fuel economy, but doesn't a dirty fuel filter make your car use LESS gas?
Lessening the amount of gas to increase fuel economy may make sense intuitively, but that's not how to save gas and money! Keep in mind that intuition tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones, and Galileo proved that wrong hundreds of years ago. What actually happens is that a clogged fuel filter causes a leaner fuel mixture. That will make the combustion of the air-fuel mixture LESS efficient as it gets worse. Why? Without getting too much into chemistry, the fact is that gasoline burns best at the correct ratio of air to gasoline (14.7 pounds of air to each pound of gasoline). Not enough air causes inefficiency as does too much air. One of the clues a mechanic picks up on a car with too lean a fuel mixture is a high hydrocarbon and high oxygen reading of the exhaust fumes. Hydrocarbons are unburned gasoline resulting from the misfire caused, in this case, by not enough gasoline in ratio to the oxygen. In plain English, the engine now has to work harder to give the same amount of power. That always hurts fuel economy.
5. Can I save gas by opening the windows instead of running the air conditioner?
Sort of, maybe, but actually no. Assuming you're travelling at highway speeds, recent studies have shown that modern cars, with much more efficient air conditioners than their predecessors had, actually show very little, if any, difference in fuel economy between running the A/C and having the windows open - both shave off about 2% to 3%, assuming everything is in proper working order. This was NOT true for trucks, SUV's and other larger vehicles. Larger vehicles got WORSE fuel economy in these tests with the windows open than with the A/C on, likely because of the much greater interior volume acting almost like a parachute with such vehicles. Of course, you save the most gas and money by driving with the windows closed and the A/C off, but that's not always possible.
6. Should I leave the car on if I'll be idling less than three minutes since it takes even more gas to start the car?
Not anymore. Actually, that three minute figure was a rough approximation, at best. In any case, modern cars - many going back to the early 1980's and late 1970's - have computer-controlled fuel injection, making the amount of fuel required to restart a warm engine equal to as little as 30 seconds of idling. Clearly, letting the car idle for even as little as three minutes is not how to save gas and money. If you know it's going to be a few minutes and you're not in traffic you'd do better to shut the engine off. Additionally, modern cars don't need a warm-up period of more than about thirty seconds when cold starting - unless you're in extreme cold where you probably want to get a block warmer.
7. I keep seeing mechanical gadgets that are supposed to save money on gas. Do they work?
I've seen all kinds of gizmos and I'm sorry to say that, while many of them make sense on paper, most of them don't seem to work. I also have to admit that a lot of the problem is that people were trying to find a way around fixing important mechanical failures. Always keep your vehicle in good repair (one of the best ways to save gas and money in the long run) -- attaching some additional device to an engine with weak compression or some other defect is not likely to deliver favorable results. It's like trying to use a squirt gun to put out a major forest fire. As for cars that ARE in good repair, some things may work, but if your car is under warranty you need to be careful that the gadget does not void the warranty. Right now I'm following the "hydrogen from water" concept, where the car's electricity is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then drawn into the air intake. I've seen some impressive demos of them even being used by government agencies. I'm looking to install one myself.
8. Do additives save gas?
That's a broad subject. The broad answer is yes - depending upon the situation (please avoid fighting forest fires with squirt guns!). Brand-name additives for cleaning fuel injectors are generally effective in that dirty injectors and valves most definitely will hurt fuel economy. As a matter of fact, on older cars I was often able to save my customers a lot of money on carburetor overhauls by running a very high concentration of injector cleaner through the system. Obviously this was not for carburetors that had mechanical, "hard parts" failures. With newer cars you need to be careful and, with just about any car from the 1980's on up, make sure that any product that will pass through the intake and exhaust system is sensor safe! Also, rather than use premium gas on a car that doesn't call for it, I recommend using regular gas and pouring a bottle of injector cleaner in with a fill-up every two months or so, depending upon how much driving you do.
9. What about oil additives?
That's a highly conditional "Yes". There is the old stand-by, Marvel Mystery Oil, which many mechanics will tell you is really transmission fluid. Marvel Mystery Oil does two basic things: First, when added to your gasoline it burns off carbon build-up in the combustion chamber, thereby reducing pre-ignition. If you do this and see smoke coming from your tailpipe you either used too much or you most definitely DID have carbon buildup, meaning the temporary smoke caused by burned-off carbon was a good thing! Before detergent motor oils came along you used to have to "de-coke" your engine on a regular basis - same basic thing. Second, when added to your oil it provides an extra bit of cushioning and lubrication for your valves and valve stems. In either case, these situations should not be an issue on newer cars. STP Oil Treatment is good in that it is a viscosity index improver. Do NOT disregard the directions on the label as it will end up being similar to using too high of a viscosity motor oil. STP also helps reduce engine wear by leaving a protective film for when you start the engine, when most engine wear takes place since normally there isn't as much oil pressure at that time.
10. Do those oil additives with PTFE help save gas?
Yes, but according to study after study, only while it or its residue is present in the engine. PTFE undoubtedly does reduce friction. What is in doubt is the ability to get it to actually bond to engine parts. It takes extremely high temperatures to get PTFE to bond to metal - temperatures you don't get except perhaps in the combustion chamber itself, thereby excluding all of the bearings, the cam shaft(s), rocker arms, valve stems, lifters... well, you get the picture. But while the additive is still in your engine it DOES provide better protection. It's expensive to add that to every oil change, but for a collectible car you may want to go with it, though saving gas doesn't usually go hand-in-hand with driving a collectible.
11. The owner's manual says I only have to change the oil every 7,500 miles. Is my mechanic trying to pull one over on me when he recommends every 3,000 miles, or will I get better gas mileage this way?
You will get better gas mileage - especially in the long run. Frequent oil changes will help prevent engine wear and sludge, both of which will kill engine efficiency as they get worse. As for the discrepancy in recommended oil change intervals, they're both correct. How so? If you read the owner's manual carefully, as in the fine print, you'll find something to the effect that for hard or heavy duty you should use the shorter interval. Here's the issue: what constitutes heavy duty? Heat, cold, dust, humidity, stop and go traffic... I don't know about you, but I can't think of ANY place that doesn't have any of those conditions! So why do they print that in the manual? They want to be able to report a low cost of operation while giving you a realistic guideline. Go with 3,000 miles unless you're using synthetic oil. And, yes, synthetic is better and I would strongly suggest you continue using it in cars that call for it in the owner's manual. And use the manufacturer's recommended viscosity of oil. That, too, can make a difference in fuel economy and warranty coverage.
12. Do driving habits really save gas?
Well, yes -- if they're good ones! This is exactly why I get around eight more miles per gallon of gas than my wife does with the same car! Taking off from a red light gradually, not too slowly, but not jack-rabbit starting, makes a TREMENDOUS difference in the amount of energy used. Moreover, you always want to be in the highest gear at any given speed that is safe for the given road and traffic conditions. At 45 miles per hour on level ground I will be using fifth gear while my wife will be in third, MAYBE fourth, gear. I don't blame her - she's used to driving an ambulance, where the priority is saving lives, not gasoline. You don't drive a stick shift? Well, this still applies to you in the sense that most automatic transmission drivers don't realize that very often the car will not shift into the next highest gear because they're giving the engine just a slight bit more gas than needed. Once you've reached your desired speed lightly lift your gas pedal just a bit and you'll often feel the car shift into the higher gear, thereby using less gasoline to travel at the same speed. This is especially true at around 38-45 miles per hour, depending upon the transmission and driving conditions. Also remember this little rule: Every time you are pressing the brake you are wasting the gas that you used to get up to that speed. Obviously, that's not always true, but it does increase your awareness of driving too fast (you can virtually always lower your speed to save gas so long as you drive safely and above the MINIMUM speed limit). Look ahead so that you can just let up on the gas pedal, rather than having to go hard on the brakes. You also may want to take a look in your trunk to make sure you're not carrying around useless extra weight. I helped one man save a lot of money on gas by pointing out that when test-driving his car it felt like something very heavy was in the trunk. His jaw dropped as he remembered that his deceased mother's china was in there - inside a cedar chest! No word on whether anything got broken...
My intention in writing this article was to provide techniques to save gas and money and also give the reader an insight into why these techniques work. These are probably the most important pointers on saving gas that I, my friends, and my customers put into use. Drive safely and wisely!
Hi, I'm James Patrickson. If you'd like more information on saving gas please feel free to read my blog at http://faq-saving-money-on-gas.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Patrickson
1. Does filling up in the morning really save gas?
Absolutely! Gasoline expands and contracts with temperature changes. A tank can show 20 gallons of gasoline in the morning, have some gasoline taken out, and yet still show the same level of gasoline in the afternoon! Here's the thing; gas is sold by volume, so one gallon of cold gas will give the mileage of perhaps 1.1 gallons of warm gas (by way of example), but you're paying for just one gallon! Leave the house a little early and fill your tank up in the early morning when it's the coolest. And, of course, look for the lowest prices at REPUTABLE filling stations. A clean exterior usually means clean gasoline.
2. Does topping off the tank more often when prices are going up save gas and money?
What it does is save money ON gas. This may be hard to understand, but here goes: When evaluating any inventory that you are depleting, you want to take into account the cost of replacing that inventory. Suppose you use a gallon a day, you have a 22 gallon tank, and prices go up an average of one cent a day. Hopefully you're never letting the tank get lower than the last two gallons, so you go twenty gallons between refills. If you wait the full twenty days to fill up, you will spend 20 cents more per gallon, equaling an extra $4.00. But, if you'd been topping off each day, instead of 20 cents more for each gallon you will have paid one cent extra the first day, 2 cents extra the second day, etc., until at the end of the same twenty-day period you find that you've spent only $2.10 extra FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF GAS! That may not sound like much, but multiply that out for the year and it adds up. Furthermore, ask yourself this: If you were told by a gas station attendant that the pumps on the left would give you the same amount of gas but would cost you almost $2.00 less per fill-up than using the pumps on the right, which pumps would you use? Of course, the opposite holds true when prices are going down. In that case, which is all too rare, you would save money by waiting until you're nearly empty because each day that passes yields greater savings in cost per gallon.
3. Does proper tire inflation really save gas?
Not only does proper tire inflation save money on gas, but it can also save your life. Improper inflation is a leading cause of tire failure, but we're not talking about getting a flat tire - we're talking about catastrophic tire failure, where the tire explodes, disintegrates, or plain comes off of the rim while you're driving. Remember the Firestone/Ford debacle? Firestone's claim was that Ford was not using the originally recommended tire pressure, causing some serious accidents. That said, underinflated tires put more rubber on the pavement, increasing road friction, AND hindering the tire's ability to dissipate the heat from road friction, which causes a vicious cycle of creating even more friction and heat. The friction will hurt your fuel economy and the heat will hurt your tires - which in turn may hurt you if the tire fails.
4. I understand a dirty air filter hurting fuel economy, but doesn't a dirty fuel filter make your car use LESS gas?
Lessening the amount of gas to increase fuel economy may make sense intuitively, but that's not how to save gas and money! Keep in mind that intuition tells us that heavier objects fall faster than lighter ones, and Galileo proved that wrong hundreds of years ago. What actually happens is that a clogged fuel filter causes a leaner fuel mixture. That will make the combustion of the air-fuel mixture LESS efficient as it gets worse. Why? Without getting too much into chemistry, the fact is that gasoline burns best at the correct ratio of air to gasoline (14.7 pounds of air to each pound of gasoline). Not enough air causes inefficiency as does too much air. One of the clues a mechanic picks up on a car with too lean a fuel mixture is a high hydrocarbon and high oxygen reading of the exhaust fumes. Hydrocarbons are unburned gasoline resulting from the misfire caused, in this case, by not enough gasoline in ratio to the oxygen. In plain English, the engine now has to work harder to give the same amount of power. That always hurts fuel economy.
5. Can I save gas by opening the windows instead of running the air conditioner?
Sort of, maybe, but actually no. Assuming you're travelling at highway speeds, recent studies have shown that modern cars, with much more efficient air conditioners than their predecessors had, actually show very little, if any, difference in fuel economy between running the A/C and having the windows open - both shave off about 2% to 3%, assuming everything is in proper working order. This was NOT true for trucks, SUV's and other larger vehicles. Larger vehicles got WORSE fuel economy in these tests with the windows open than with the A/C on, likely because of the much greater interior volume acting almost like a parachute with such vehicles. Of course, you save the most gas and money by driving with the windows closed and the A/C off, but that's not always possible.
6. Should I leave the car on if I'll be idling less than three minutes since it takes even more gas to start the car?
Not anymore. Actually, that three minute figure was a rough approximation, at best. In any case, modern cars - many going back to the early 1980's and late 1970's - have computer-controlled fuel injection, making the amount of fuel required to restart a warm engine equal to as little as 30 seconds of idling. Clearly, letting the car idle for even as little as three minutes is not how to save gas and money. If you know it's going to be a few minutes and you're not in traffic you'd do better to shut the engine off. Additionally, modern cars don't need a warm-up period of more than about thirty seconds when cold starting - unless you're in extreme cold where you probably want to get a block warmer.
7. I keep seeing mechanical gadgets that are supposed to save money on gas. Do they work?
I've seen all kinds of gizmos and I'm sorry to say that, while many of them make sense on paper, most of them don't seem to work. I also have to admit that a lot of the problem is that people were trying to find a way around fixing important mechanical failures. Always keep your vehicle in good repair (one of the best ways to save gas and money in the long run) -- attaching some additional device to an engine with weak compression or some other defect is not likely to deliver favorable results. It's like trying to use a squirt gun to put out a major forest fire. As for cars that ARE in good repair, some things may work, but if your car is under warranty you need to be careful that the gadget does not void the warranty. Right now I'm following the "hydrogen from water" concept, where the car's electricity is used to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen, which is then drawn into the air intake. I've seen some impressive demos of them even being used by government agencies. I'm looking to install one myself.
8. Do additives save gas?
That's a broad subject. The broad answer is yes - depending upon the situation (please avoid fighting forest fires with squirt guns!). Brand-name additives for cleaning fuel injectors are generally effective in that dirty injectors and valves most definitely will hurt fuel economy. As a matter of fact, on older cars I was often able to save my customers a lot of money on carburetor overhauls by running a very high concentration of injector cleaner through the system. Obviously this was not for carburetors that had mechanical, "hard parts" failures. With newer cars you need to be careful and, with just about any car from the 1980's on up, make sure that any product that will pass through the intake and exhaust system is sensor safe! Also, rather than use premium gas on a car that doesn't call for it, I recommend using regular gas and pouring a bottle of injector cleaner in with a fill-up every two months or so, depending upon how much driving you do.
9. What about oil additives?
That's a highly conditional "Yes". There is the old stand-by, Marvel Mystery Oil, which many mechanics will tell you is really transmission fluid. Marvel Mystery Oil does two basic things: First, when added to your gasoline it burns off carbon build-up in the combustion chamber, thereby reducing pre-ignition. If you do this and see smoke coming from your tailpipe you either used too much or you most definitely DID have carbon buildup, meaning the temporary smoke caused by burned-off carbon was a good thing! Before detergent motor oils came along you used to have to "de-coke" your engine on a regular basis - same basic thing. Second, when added to your oil it provides an extra bit of cushioning and lubrication for your valves and valve stems. In either case, these situations should not be an issue on newer cars. STP Oil Treatment is good in that it is a viscosity index improver. Do NOT disregard the directions on the label as it will end up being similar to using too high of a viscosity motor oil. STP also helps reduce engine wear by leaving a protective film for when you start the engine, when most engine wear takes place since normally there isn't as much oil pressure at that time.
10. Do those oil additives with PTFE help save gas?
Yes, but according to study after study, only while it or its residue is present in the engine. PTFE undoubtedly does reduce friction. What is in doubt is the ability to get it to actually bond to engine parts. It takes extremely high temperatures to get PTFE to bond to metal - temperatures you don't get except perhaps in the combustion chamber itself, thereby excluding all of the bearings, the cam shaft(s), rocker arms, valve stems, lifters... well, you get the picture. But while the additive is still in your engine it DOES provide better protection. It's expensive to add that to every oil change, but for a collectible car you may want to go with it, though saving gas doesn't usually go hand-in-hand with driving a collectible.
11. The owner's manual says I only have to change the oil every 7,500 miles. Is my mechanic trying to pull one over on me when he recommends every 3,000 miles, or will I get better gas mileage this way?
You will get better gas mileage - especially in the long run. Frequent oil changes will help prevent engine wear and sludge, both of which will kill engine efficiency as they get worse. As for the discrepancy in recommended oil change intervals, they're both correct. How so? If you read the owner's manual carefully, as in the fine print, you'll find something to the effect that for hard or heavy duty you should use the shorter interval. Here's the issue: what constitutes heavy duty? Heat, cold, dust, humidity, stop and go traffic... I don't know about you, but I can't think of ANY place that doesn't have any of those conditions! So why do they print that in the manual? They want to be able to report a low cost of operation while giving you a realistic guideline. Go with 3,000 miles unless you're using synthetic oil. And, yes, synthetic is better and I would strongly suggest you continue using it in cars that call for it in the owner's manual. And use the manufacturer's recommended viscosity of oil. That, too, can make a difference in fuel economy and warranty coverage.
12. Do driving habits really save gas?
Well, yes -- if they're good ones! This is exactly why I get around eight more miles per gallon of gas than my wife does with the same car! Taking off from a red light gradually, not too slowly, but not jack-rabbit starting, makes a TREMENDOUS difference in the amount of energy used. Moreover, you always want to be in the highest gear at any given speed that is safe for the given road and traffic conditions. At 45 miles per hour on level ground I will be using fifth gear while my wife will be in third, MAYBE fourth, gear. I don't blame her - she's used to driving an ambulance, where the priority is saving lives, not gasoline. You don't drive a stick shift? Well, this still applies to you in the sense that most automatic transmission drivers don't realize that very often the car will not shift into the next highest gear because they're giving the engine just a slight bit more gas than needed. Once you've reached your desired speed lightly lift your gas pedal just a bit and you'll often feel the car shift into the higher gear, thereby using less gasoline to travel at the same speed. This is especially true at around 38-45 miles per hour, depending upon the transmission and driving conditions. Also remember this little rule: Every time you are pressing the brake you are wasting the gas that you used to get up to that speed. Obviously, that's not always true, but it does increase your awareness of driving too fast (you can virtually always lower your speed to save gas so long as you drive safely and above the MINIMUM speed limit). Look ahead so that you can just let up on the gas pedal, rather than having to go hard on the brakes. You also may want to take a look in your trunk to make sure you're not carrying around useless extra weight. I helped one man save a lot of money on gas by pointing out that when test-driving his car it felt like something very heavy was in the trunk. His jaw dropped as he remembered that his deceased mother's china was in there - inside a cedar chest! No word on whether anything got broken...
My intention in writing this article was to provide techniques to save gas and money and also give the reader an insight into why these techniques work. These are probably the most important pointers on saving gas that I, my friends, and my customers put into use. Drive safely and wisely!
Hi, I'm James Patrickson. If you'd like more information on saving gas please feel free to read my blog at http://faq-saving-money-on-gas.blogspot.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=James_Patrickson
Thursday 8 April 2010
Petrol, Diesel, LPG, Hybrid?
Petrol, Diesel, LPG, Hybrid - What's Best For You
Oil
The main criteria of a car's eco-friendliness is generally seen as the energy it uses in its operation. Cars have primarily run on oil-based fuel in the form of petrol or diesel for over a century. But we are now at the point where demand for oil is rising so much, and reserves are declining, that oil is actually running out. Oil prices have always been volatile and they react to speculation about events ranging from terrorism to hurricanes, but rising demand and diminishing reserves mean that overall, oil is just going to keep on getting more expensive. However despite this, most cars today still rely on oil as their primary source of energy; and oil is obviously a key contributor to carbon emissions, and climate change.
Petrol
Petrol has been the most popular fuel for cars in the UK for years; petrol engines are generally quiet and smooth, they are responsive and their performance is good. Petrol is currently slightly cheaper than diesel. Petrol engines emit around 10% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than diesel. However petrol cars pump out less toxic emissions than diesel. Unfortunately at the moment there is no single source of fuel which can compare with petroleum in terms of its instant bulk availability, energy density and (relative) cheapness.
Diesel
Diesel engines are more economical than petrol engines, therefore they emit less CO2. New 'common rail' diesels are approximately 10% more efficient than older diesels, and direct-injection diesel engines give the best fuel economy, diesels emit more particulates than petrol - but diesel engines with a particulate trap help prevent emissions of sooty particulates - ie. the clouds of smoke that you'll experience if you follow old buses through towns. So diesel engines will generally provide you with more miles per gallon than their equivalent petrol models - just look at the differences between similar vehicles in our Green Car Guide. Diesel is currently more expensive to buy than petrol, and the forecasts are that diesel prices will continue to rise more steeply than petrol in the near future.
Diesel engines have always been seen as slow and noisy, however technology has seen some remarkable advances in recent years; for instance Honda has developed their own diesel engine that is designed to be quiet, refined, clean and with instant response - fighting against all the old stereotypes.
LPG
Over recent years, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) has been a viable fuel option in the UK. LPG produces fewer emissions than petrol and diesel but fuel consumption is worse. It's been possible to convert many existing cars to run on LPG by after-market conversions, and some manufacturers such as Vauxhall have had new cars in their range that are dual-fuel, which are designed to run primarily on LPG with petrol back-up. There is a reasonable network of filling stations.
LPG, and natural gas in heavier vehicles, has been an attractive proposition in the past primarily due to its cheaper cost, as it has enjoyed less fuel duty. However there is no guarantee that the Chancellor will maintain this in the future, and although there are some emissions improvements over petrol, LPG is still derived from a fossil fuel and therefore still releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
CNG
Some vehicles, usually heavier vans or trucks that normally run on diesel, but also cars such as the Volvo (V70 Bi-Fuel), can run on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), which again results in lower CO2 emissions than standard petrol cars, but the fuel is not as efficient as diesel. Finding CNG for refuelling can be a challenge.
Petrol-Electric Hybrids
Petrol-electric hybrid vehicles run on a combination of a conventional petrol engine and an electric motor powered by an energy storage device such as a battery pack. In simple terms they work on the principle that an electric motor provides the power at low speeds such as in urban driving, and they switch to petrol for driving at higher speeds. The batteries are recharged while driving and hybrids use regenerative braking, which means that energy is put back into the battery when braking, which improves energy efficiency.
Hybrid technologies improve fuel efficiency and therefore provide considerable fuel savings compared with a normal petrol vehicle - as well as carbon emissions savings. While models might cost more than conventional cars, running costs can be two-thirds that of equivalent petrol-fuelled vehicles.
Because of their lower CO2 emissions, hybrids also benefit from reduced vehicle excise duty and are treated favourably in Budgets. In addition they are exempted from the London Congestion Charge.
However at the moment there are a limited number of hybrid vehicle choices; there are currently just four hybrids available in the UK; the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic hybrid, Lexus RX400h and Lexus GS450h. As they are still a relatively new technology, there aren't many available second-hand and so they are quite expensive.
Toyota's first Prius (launched in Japan in 1997) didn't sell in great numbers, however a new model has been introduced and this is now proving more successful. Although it looks like a normal car, it is designed around energy efficiency, and has many clever technological features that assist fuel consumption, including air conditioning and brakes powered by electricity rather than by sapping energy from the petrol engine. Lexus, part of Toyota, has introduced a hybrid version of the RX300, known as the RX400h. This is an SUV and because of its size, it still only returns around 35mpg compared to the Prius's 65.7mpg.
Although the official fuel economy figures for cars such as the Toyota Prius at 65.7mpg sound great, they only really achieve maximum economy benefits in built-up areas where they primarily run on electric rather than petrol although the Prius can only drive for around a mile on battery power before needing to revert to petrol; in real-world motoring it seems difficult to attain the official figures. On a motorway run, a good diesel is likely to be more economical. Nevertheless hybrids are still one of the best options that the consumer has today to achieve better fuel economy, especially if much driving is done in towns, along with the financial benefits such as lower tax and escaping London's Congestion Charge.
Only petrol-electric hybrids are currently available; diesel-electric hybrids will achieve even better fuel consumption - watch out for these appearing in the not-too distant future.
Battery-Electric cars
Electric cars use a battery and electric motor to power the vehicle, meaning they have no emissions at the point of use. Due to the capacity of the battery, their range is normally limited to about 40-60 miles between recharges, which means they are only really suitable for city-based users.
Electric vehicles can be recharged by plugging them into an existing electrical socket, and some city councils are installing electric recharging points in car parks or on-street. However, they are only truly 'green' if they are recharged with electricity from renewable sources such as windfarms.
Electric cars are not subject to road tax and, as an added bonus for London drivers, they enjoy 100 per cent congestion charge discount. Drivers living in areas where they have to pay for residential parking permits might also find that they get a discount on this cost.
Electric cars are often regarded as the ideal non-polluters, but it's not quite that simple. They're obviously good for lack of tailpipe emissions and are near silent, but they need to carry rechargeable batteries. These batteries are not really energy sources, they are energy storers. This creates two issues. Firstly they are heavy and bulky with very low energy densities. Secondly, the original source of energy, for recharging, has to be questioned, because if it's not renewable, those vehicles will indirectly contribute to climate change. There is a further drawback; if their batteries are lead or cadmium-based, there is a serious pollution problem if they are not properly disposed of at the end of their life.
The only electric car available in the UK at the moment, although this is about to change, is the G-Wiz, a small car for about-town use, claimed to be the greenest, most energy-efficient and cheapest car to run in the UK. It has two front seats plus two children size seats, which can be folded down for luggage. It is in insurance group 1, exempt from VED and the London Congestion Charge, and qualifies for free or discounted parking in some London areas. The G-Wiz is claimed to consume just one quarter of the energy of a similar-sized petrol car and costs around just £1.64 a day to run, equivalent to around 600 miles per gallon.
Goingreen, the company behind the G-Wiz, should be commended on their efforts in bringing such a vehicle to the market, and for some people, in the centre of London for example, it can provide motoring with very low running costs. However it's not practical for everyone - its drawbacks include the fact that it needs a 6 hour recharge - you literally need to plug it in! - and its range and speed are limited. Apart from all that, its design is just not as cool, trendy and sophisticated as cars such as the Smart or even the Toyota Aygo.
In summary, viable electric vehicles are still around the corner while hybrids, bio-diesel and bio-ethanol vehicles are here now.
Biofuels
Biodiesel
Biofuel has traditionally been in the form of biodiesel, currently available in various types and qualities, primarily from vegetable oils, such as from recycled cooking oils, and from crops such as rapeseed oil, both of which avoid the carbon emissions of mineral diesel. However there is no wide availability, unless in industrial quantities, and it is more commonly used to blend with normal diesel. There's at least one company that is currently building up a world-wide biodiesel production and refining capacity but it's not ready yet.
A wide range of car manufacturers supply cars rated as totally compatible with biodiesel and even older models may be compatible. It's recommended that if your fuel runs through rubber pipes they must be replaced with plastic equivalents. Biodiesel will remove dirt in the engine left by previous use of petro-diesel and deposit it in the filters, therefore the filters need to be changed after the biodiesel has been used for a while. Biodiesel will work in most modern diesel engines (but not petrol!) but there are warranty implications - all vehicles should be checked for their compatibility for running on biodiesel.
D1 Oils is a British company which recognises the increasing demand for biodiesel and aims to become a global, sustainable, low cost supplier of crude vegetable oil and biodiesel refiner. It has developed plantation rights and established refinery operations in several international regions, creating a supply chain from seed selection through to the sale of biodiesel to end users. Currently it has four operations centred in the UK, South Africa, Asia Pacific and India. There are also projects in Madagascar and Saudi Arabia. The main plant source is the Jatropha tree which can grow in desert areas with a minimum requirement for water.
Grassolean is a US site where you can find information on starting your own Biodiesel project.
Green Fuels Ltd was formed to bring affordable and sustainable biodiesel technology to the UK and European marketplace. They market decentralised plant for making biodiesel on a scale suitable for home, business or locality. They also provide training.
Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI), http://www.lowimpact.org a non-profit organisation helping to protect the environment by promoting sustainable alternatives. They run hands-on courses throughout the year including several on making your own biodiesel and there's even one on vegetable oil as a motor fuel. They can also supply and deliver biodiesel to your home.
Bio'petrol' - Ethanol and Methanol Vehicles
Ethanol and Methanol are viable vehicle fuels which are an alternative to petrol in internal combustion engines, giving considerable carbon emission benefits if the fuel is derived biologically. It's cleaner inside the engine as well as outside. Vehicles usually require adaptation to convert from petrol to ethanol if the concentration exceeds 10% (E10) (manufacturers tend to be conservative and warranties usually state that no more than 5% ethanol should be added, however, most cars seem to run on E10). The required engine modifications to convert from petrol to ethanol are more extensive than those to convert diesel to biodiesel. Several manufacturers are working to produce vehicles that will run on an 85% proportion (E85) and in the Americas and Canada, Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) can run on E85 as well as gasoline (petrol). Where ethanol can be produced in abundance, notably Brazil, the fuel is used widely. The alcohols also have potential for the raw source in fuel cells.
Recently, biofuels that can run with petrol have been introduced in the UK. The Saab BioPower and the Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel are the only two new vehicles on the market that are designed to run on biofuel. For more information see items in our News section.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen fuel cells are seen as the fuel of the future. Although they are charged with very bulky hydrogen, it can be supplied in a liquid hydrocarbon compound and that way, theoretically, the density problem can be solved. To be climate-friendly the compound must be renewable (bio(m)ethanol for example), not petroleum based. One of the biggest attractions about hydrogen is that the only waste it produces is water.
Various manufacturers are developing prototype cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells however they still demand much research and development to be commercially viable in vehicles and it will be a number of years before they are widely available, together with the fuel, in the UK.
Other technologies
Citroen has developed 'Stop & Start' technology, currently used in two of its models. The normal petrol engine shuts down if the car stops in traffic in normal driving. You still pay a premium over standard models for this technology, but they are cheaper than hybrids - but the fuel savings are not as great - the fuel consumption does not improve significantly at all; like hybrids, they offer greatest benefit in urban areas.
For more information about green cars you can buy today see http://www.green-car-guide.com
Paul Clarke is the founder of the Green-Car-Guide.com which is designed to help motorists make an informed choice about environmentally-friendly cars, saving them money on fuel and car running costs. The Green-Car-Guide.com was the first website of its kind in the UK and was launched on 21st September 2006. For further information please go to www.green-car-guide.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Clarke
Oil
The main criteria of a car's eco-friendliness is generally seen as the energy it uses in its operation. Cars have primarily run on oil-based fuel in the form of petrol or diesel for over a century. But we are now at the point where demand for oil is rising so much, and reserves are declining, that oil is actually running out. Oil prices have always been volatile and they react to speculation about events ranging from terrorism to hurricanes, but rising demand and diminishing reserves mean that overall, oil is just going to keep on getting more expensive. However despite this, most cars today still rely on oil as their primary source of energy; and oil is obviously a key contributor to carbon emissions, and climate change.
Petrol
Petrol has been the most popular fuel for cars in the UK for years; petrol engines are generally quiet and smooth, they are responsive and their performance is good. Petrol is currently slightly cheaper than diesel. Petrol engines emit around 10% more carbon dioxide (CO2) than diesel. However petrol cars pump out less toxic emissions than diesel. Unfortunately at the moment there is no single source of fuel which can compare with petroleum in terms of its instant bulk availability, energy density and (relative) cheapness.
Diesel
Diesel engines are more economical than petrol engines, therefore they emit less CO2. New 'common rail' diesels are approximately 10% more efficient than older diesels, and direct-injection diesel engines give the best fuel economy, diesels emit more particulates than petrol - but diesel engines with a particulate trap help prevent emissions of sooty particulates - ie. the clouds of smoke that you'll experience if you follow old buses through towns. So diesel engines will generally provide you with more miles per gallon than their equivalent petrol models - just look at the differences between similar vehicles in our Green Car Guide. Diesel is currently more expensive to buy than petrol, and the forecasts are that diesel prices will continue to rise more steeply than petrol in the near future.
Diesel engines have always been seen as slow and noisy, however technology has seen some remarkable advances in recent years; for instance Honda has developed their own diesel engine that is designed to be quiet, refined, clean and with instant response - fighting against all the old stereotypes.
LPG
Over recent years, LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) has been a viable fuel option in the UK. LPG produces fewer emissions than petrol and diesel but fuel consumption is worse. It's been possible to convert many existing cars to run on LPG by after-market conversions, and some manufacturers such as Vauxhall have had new cars in their range that are dual-fuel, which are designed to run primarily on LPG with petrol back-up. There is a reasonable network of filling stations.
LPG, and natural gas in heavier vehicles, has been an attractive proposition in the past primarily due to its cheaper cost, as it has enjoyed less fuel duty. However there is no guarantee that the Chancellor will maintain this in the future, and although there are some emissions improvements over petrol, LPG is still derived from a fossil fuel and therefore still releases greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
CNG
Some vehicles, usually heavier vans or trucks that normally run on diesel, but also cars such as the Volvo (V70 Bi-Fuel), can run on CNG (Compressed Natural Gas), which again results in lower CO2 emissions than standard petrol cars, but the fuel is not as efficient as diesel. Finding CNG for refuelling can be a challenge.
Petrol-Electric Hybrids
Petrol-electric hybrid vehicles run on a combination of a conventional petrol engine and an electric motor powered by an energy storage device such as a battery pack. In simple terms they work on the principle that an electric motor provides the power at low speeds such as in urban driving, and they switch to petrol for driving at higher speeds. The batteries are recharged while driving and hybrids use regenerative braking, which means that energy is put back into the battery when braking, which improves energy efficiency.
Hybrid technologies improve fuel efficiency and therefore provide considerable fuel savings compared with a normal petrol vehicle - as well as carbon emissions savings. While models might cost more than conventional cars, running costs can be two-thirds that of equivalent petrol-fuelled vehicles.
Because of their lower CO2 emissions, hybrids also benefit from reduced vehicle excise duty and are treated favourably in Budgets. In addition they are exempted from the London Congestion Charge.
However at the moment there are a limited number of hybrid vehicle choices; there are currently just four hybrids available in the UK; the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic hybrid, Lexus RX400h and Lexus GS450h. As they are still a relatively new technology, there aren't many available second-hand and so they are quite expensive.
Toyota's first Prius (launched in Japan in 1997) didn't sell in great numbers, however a new model has been introduced and this is now proving more successful. Although it looks like a normal car, it is designed around energy efficiency, and has many clever technological features that assist fuel consumption, including air conditioning and brakes powered by electricity rather than by sapping energy from the petrol engine. Lexus, part of Toyota, has introduced a hybrid version of the RX300, known as the RX400h. This is an SUV and because of its size, it still only returns around 35mpg compared to the Prius's 65.7mpg.
Although the official fuel economy figures for cars such as the Toyota Prius at 65.7mpg sound great, they only really achieve maximum economy benefits in built-up areas where they primarily run on electric rather than petrol although the Prius can only drive for around a mile on battery power before needing to revert to petrol; in real-world motoring it seems difficult to attain the official figures. On a motorway run, a good diesel is likely to be more economical. Nevertheless hybrids are still one of the best options that the consumer has today to achieve better fuel economy, especially if much driving is done in towns, along with the financial benefits such as lower tax and escaping London's Congestion Charge.
Only petrol-electric hybrids are currently available; diesel-electric hybrids will achieve even better fuel consumption - watch out for these appearing in the not-too distant future.
Battery-Electric cars
Electric cars use a battery and electric motor to power the vehicle, meaning they have no emissions at the point of use. Due to the capacity of the battery, their range is normally limited to about 40-60 miles between recharges, which means they are only really suitable for city-based users.
Electric vehicles can be recharged by plugging them into an existing electrical socket, and some city councils are installing electric recharging points in car parks or on-street. However, they are only truly 'green' if they are recharged with electricity from renewable sources such as windfarms.
Electric cars are not subject to road tax and, as an added bonus for London drivers, they enjoy 100 per cent congestion charge discount. Drivers living in areas where they have to pay for residential parking permits might also find that they get a discount on this cost.
Electric cars are often regarded as the ideal non-polluters, but it's not quite that simple. They're obviously good for lack of tailpipe emissions and are near silent, but they need to carry rechargeable batteries. These batteries are not really energy sources, they are energy storers. This creates two issues. Firstly they are heavy and bulky with very low energy densities. Secondly, the original source of energy, for recharging, has to be questioned, because if it's not renewable, those vehicles will indirectly contribute to climate change. There is a further drawback; if their batteries are lead or cadmium-based, there is a serious pollution problem if they are not properly disposed of at the end of their life.
The only electric car available in the UK at the moment, although this is about to change, is the G-Wiz, a small car for about-town use, claimed to be the greenest, most energy-efficient and cheapest car to run in the UK. It has two front seats plus two children size seats, which can be folded down for luggage. It is in insurance group 1, exempt from VED and the London Congestion Charge, and qualifies for free or discounted parking in some London areas. The G-Wiz is claimed to consume just one quarter of the energy of a similar-sized petrol car and costs around just £1.64 a day to run, equivalent to around 600 miles per gallon.
Goingreen, the company behind the G-Wiz, should be commended on their efforts in bringing such a vehicle to the market, and for some people, in the centre of London for example, it can provide motoring with very low running costs. However it's not practical for everyone - its drawbacks include the fact that it needs a 6 hour recharge - you literally need to plug it in! - and its range and speed are limited. Apart from all that, its design is just not as cool, trendy and sophisticated as cars such as the Smart or even the Toyota Aygo.
In summary, viable electric vehicles are still around the corner while hybrids, bio-diesel and bio-ethanol vehicles are here now.
Biofuels
Biodiesel
Biofuel has traditionally been in the form of biodiesel, currently available in various types and qualities, primarily from vegetable oils, such as from recycled cooking oils, and from crops such as rapeseed oil, both of which avoid the carbon emissions of mineral diesel. However there is no wide availability, unless in industrial quantities, and it is more commonly used to blend with normal diesel. There's at least one company that is currently building up a world-wide biodiesel production and refining capacity but it's not ready yet.
A wide range of car manufacturers supply cars rated as totally compatible with biodiesel and even older models may be compatible. It's recommended that if your fuel runs through rubber pipes they must be replaced with plastic equivalents. Biodiesel will remove dirt in the engine left by previous use of petro-diesel and deposit it in the filters, therefore the filters need to be changed after the biodiesel has been used for a while. Biodiesel will work in most modern diesel engines (but not petrol!) but there are warranty implications - all vehicles should be checked for their compatibility for running on biodiesel.
D1 Oils is a British company which recognises the increasing demand for biodiesel and aims to become a global, sustainable, low cost supplier of crude vegetable oil and biodiesel refiner. It has developed plantation rights and established refinery operations in several international regions, creating a supply chain from seed selection through to the sale of biodiesel to end users. Currently it has four operations centred in the UK, South Africa, Asia Pacific and India. There are also projects in Madagascar and Saudi Arabia. The main plant source is the Jatropha tree which can grow in desert areas with a minimum requirement for water.
Grassolean is a US site where you can find information on starting your own Biodiesel project.
Green Fuels Ltd was formed to bring affordable and sustainable biodiesel technology to the UK and European marketplace. They market decentralised plant for making biodiesel on a scale suitable for home, business or locality. They also provide training.
Low-Impact Living Initiative (LILI), http://www.lowimpact.org a non-profit organisation helping to protect the environment by promoting sustainable alternatives. They run hands-on courses throughout the year including several on making your own biodiesel and there's even one on vegetable oil as a motor fuel. They can also supply and deliver biodiesel to your home.
Bio'petrol' - Ethanol and Methanol Vehicles
Ethanol and Methanol are viable vehicle fuels which are an alternative to petrol in internal combustion engines, giving considerable carbon emission benefits if the fuel is derived biologically. It's cleaner inside the engine as well as outside. Vehicles usually require adaptation to convert from petrol to ethanol if the concentration exceeds 10% (E10) (manufacturers tend to be conservative and warranties usually state that no more than 5% ethanol should be added, however, most cars seem to run on E10). The required engine modifications to convert from petrol to ethanol are more extensive than those to convert diesel to biodiesel. Several manufacturers are working to produce vehicles that will run on an 85% proportion (E85) and in the Americas and Canada, Flexible Fuel Vehicles (FFVs) can run on E85 as well as gasoline (petrol). Where ethanol can be produced in abundance, notably Brazil, the fuel is used widely. The alcohols also have potential for the raw source in fuel cells.
Recently, biofuels that can run with petrol have been introduced in the UK. The Saab BioPower and the Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel are the only two new vehicles on the market that are designed to run on biofuel. For more information see items in our News section.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen fuel cells are seen as the fuel of the future. Although they are charged with very bulky hydrogen, it can be supplied in a liquid hydrocarbon compound and that way, theoretically, the density problem can be solved. To be climate-friendly the compound must be renewable (bio(m)ethanol for example), not petroleum based. One of the biggest attractions about hydrogen is that the only waste it produces is water.
Various manufacturers are developing prototype cars powered by hydrogen fuel cells however they still demand much research and development to be commercially viable in vehicles and it will be a number of years before they are widely available, together with the fuel, in the UK.
Other technologies
Citroen has developed 'Stop & Start' technology, currently used in two of its models. The normal petrol engine shuts down if the car stops in traffic in normal driving. You still pay a premium over standard models for this technology, but they are cheaper than hybrids - but the fuel savings are not as great - the fuel consumption does not improve significantly at all; like hybrids, they offer greatest benefit in urban areas.
For more information about green cars you can buy today see http://www.green-car-guide.com
Paul Clarke is the founder of the Green-Car-Guide.com which is designed to help motorists make an informed choice about environmentally-friendly cars, saving them money on fuel and car running costs. The Green-Car-Guide.com was the first website of its kind in the UK and was launched on 21st September 2006. For further information please go to www.green-car-guide.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Paul_Clarke
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