1. 12.4 NOTES Alternative Fuel Cars

2. D.6 Alternate-Fuel Vehicles
Personal vehicles consume ~ 50% of petrol burned for fuel

3. Compressed Natural Gas
Natural gas condensed under high pressure that is stored in metal cylinders; substitute fuel
Advantages:
Wide availability
80% decrease in CO and NO emissions
Disadvantages:
Increase cost of vehicle $2 - $4000
High fire risk due to pressure

5. Fuel-Cell Power
Became practical in the 1960s
Any fuel containing hydrogen can be used in a fuel cell
  - The reaction for the fuel is 2H2 + O2  2H2O + electrical energy
- Water is a widely used fuel source for fuel cells
- The electrons produced that provide the energy are prevented from passing back to the fuel side by a membrane
- Platinum electrodes catalyze the removal of electrons from hydrogen atoms

6. Advantages
Don’t require recharging
Eliminate/reduce air pollutants
Difficulties:
Handling/processing
High Cost

7. Hybrid Gasoline-Electric Power
Hybrid vehicles have a gas engine and a electric motor
Batteries recharge while driving
Can store some “lost” energy for later use, making them more efficient than normal cars, which use only 25% of fuel
Typically can get upwards of 40mpg and can go 650 miles on one tank of gas