What Fuels a Vehicle January 30, 2016

Historically Motor vehicles have an internal combustion engine which is powered by a fuel, which must be –compressed and –ignited The resulting energy is harnessed Click here to learn how car engines work

Present Day Most passenger vehicles run on a combination of hydrocarbons called gasoline The ingredients to make gasoline come from crude oil These are refined through the distillation of crude oil

Gasoline A blend of hydrocarbons (molecules containing only carbon and hydrogen) Some of the common molecules in gasoline are decane, heptane, octane

Gasoline Gasoline contains a lot of energy If humans could digest gasoline, a litre of it would contain about 8,200 calories - this is equivalent to the energy in about 29 McDonald’s hamburgers

Diesel Fuel Another common type of fuel is diesel The hydrocarbons in diesel are bigger than those in gasoline Diesel fuel packs more energy than the equivalent amount of gasoline It releases less carbon dioxide, but more soot and acid rain containing molecules

Gasoline and Diesel - Health During World War II, A form of lead was added to low quality gas to improve its use It is now understood that lead is toxic to many living organisms, including humans

Gasoline and Diesel – Global Warming When hydrocarbons are combusted (burned), carbon dioxide is produced It is now widely accepted that carbon dioxide acts as a greenhouse gas, which potentially leads to an increase in global temperatures

Gasoline and Diesel - Economy Worldwide demand for oil, to be used in the manufacturing of goods has never been higher Ever increasing oil costs are translating to ever increasing gas prices "Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Uly 2008)."

Ethanol additivesEthanol additives BiodieselBiodiesel Hydrogen FuelHydrogen Fuel Electric CarsElectric Cars

Ethanol In recent years, ethanol (alcohol) has been added to gas Pro – It increases the oxygen content, allowing a clean burn Con – because more ethanol was needed for fuel, corn crops began to go towards fuel, causing an increase in food prices

Biodiesel Biodiesel is a fuel made from the oils/fats of plants and animals Currently, biodiesel is blended with regular diesel Pro – Is a renewable and recyclable source of fuel Con – Less powerful than regular diesel, more nitrogen oxides, and doesn’t burn well in older vehicles

Hydrogen Fuel Hydrogen is a potential fuel of the future Pro – Burns producing only water as a by product Con – difficult (dangerous) to transport, production of hydrogen fuel requires some form of energy

Electric Cars Currently, cars which run on an electric charge do exist Pro – car does not produce emissions when running on battery charge, which eliminates a point of pollution Con – limited charge, some form of energy is required to recharge the battery

References Brain, M. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "How Gasoline Works". Howstuffworks "Science". Retrieved December 15, 2010, from Brain, M. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "How Car Engines Work". Howstuffworks "Auto ". Retrieved December 15, 2010, from APA formatting by BibMe.org.

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