How Can I Save Gas

Hydrogen is an element that exists in abundance all over the earth. It can be found in water and natural and renewable matter such as plants, compost materials, even algae. Hydrogen can be converted into hydrogen gas fuel for many of the same uses as fossil fuels. Hydrogen gas fuel in its purest form must be obtained by the separation of the hydrogen’s chemical bond to those elements. When hydrogen gas fuel is blended with pure oxygen and ignited the only resulting emissions are heat and water, you can’t get much greener than that! Isn’t it smart to run your car on water!

Each method of distilling the hydrogen to it purest form has its own unique set of pros and cons, from emissions generated by the refining process to finding the most cost effective method of producing hydrogen gas fuel. Currently, steam methane reforming is the most popular method in the United States. This method separates hydrogen from natural gas by heating the natural gas at various temperatures.

Producing enough hydrogen gas fuel to support mainstream use would likely require new infrastructure, making start-up costs an expensive proposition. Current technology such as electrolysis (passing of electrical current through water in an ionic transfer device) can be adapted on a larger scale by using electricity generated through methods such as windmills or solar panels. In addition, geographic concerns will play a major role in location choices for any hydrogen production facility as ideally any such facility requires a large expanse of open space. However, zero greenhouse gas emissions in the electrolysis method make this a worthwhile, long-term venture.

Hydrogen is an extremely flexible fuel as it can be stored and transported in both liquid and gas forms. Hydrogen gas fuel can be transported in its vapor form roughly one to two hundred miles from the refining facility. For long distance transport up to one thousand miles the hydrogen is transported in liquid form requiring specially designed super-insulated tanks.

Hydrogen gas fuel has the greatest energy to weight ratio of all known and commercially available fuels. When compared to gasoline, hydrogen gas fuel produces roughly three times the amount of energy we obtain from gasoline and over six times the amount of energy we obtain from coal. Nice hypermiling driving.

Hydrogen gas keeps its efficiency through differing ranges of air fuel mixtures than gas, making it more efficient combustion-wise. The rating of hydrogen gas fuel is equal to that of an octane rating of 130, much greater than the highest octane gas that is available to the consumer at the gas station.

Hydrogen gas fuel can be used to power everything from cities to cell phones. Vehicles ranging from scooters to spacecraft can be operated using hydrogen gas. Consumer vehicles can be produced or even retrofitted to burn this earth friendly fuel. Time will tell if hydrogen gas becomes a viable alternative as gas prices continue to soar.

Also make sure to pay special attention to hybrid vehicle comparison - smart reading for the brain.

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Even though there has been great interest in cars that are powered by electricity, as opposed to depending on burning gas, there are still not many choices that could be called a truly electric sports car .

Most of the electric cars that can be seen driving around the neighborhood streets are those that are called hybrid electric cars. These cars utilize two different modes of power: gas motor power and electric motor power, which work in tandem to conserve the amount of gasoline consumed to propel the vehicle.

electric sports car
There are some very hopeful developments and progressions being made. Progress that will please those who are looking forward to being able to boast of an all electric car that they can proudly use for most of their transportation needs.

There is good news within the auto industry and word is quickly seeping out to the public. There are some promising all electric car models that have been on the drawing board for some time and have progressed to the point that the manufacturers are expecting to have them on showroom floors and out on the streets within the next 12 to 18 months.

electric motor power
Of course, many people caution against becoming overly optimistic over these reports. Auto manufacturers behind these innovative new electric cars have somewhat of a reputation for underestimating the timelines to work out all of the kinks and get the vehicles fully into production.

The first of the all electric car models expected to be on the market is the Zap Zebra. It is said that the Zap electric car is really more of a golf cart that has been pumped up to make it street-legal for roads with a speed limit of 45 MPH or less. This electric vehicle is expected to retail for under $10,000 and will boast a top speed of 40 MPH. However, it will have a rather limited range of 40 miles before needing a boost.

Another interesting option in the all electric car category is the Tesla Roadster that runs off lithium ion batteries that are commonly found in laptop computers. The Tesla Company claims that it’s electric roadster will have a range of over 250 miles and that it can accelerate from zero to 60 in just 4.5 seconds, which makes it competitive with gasoline powered cars.

electric motor controls
It is interesting that speed and acceleration are featured in this small electric car, an area that has not been well addressed by other manufacturers of electric cars. The fact is, electric motor power have the capability of powering a vehicle with sports car attributes, because the torque curve and the RMP range of the electric motor power is actually much better than that of combustion engines.

There are two questions from industry experts. How will the Tesla manage the heat thrown off by their battery array? And two, what is the expected life-span of the batteries?

The biggest challenge to developing viable all electric car options boils down to the same issue: current available battery technology. Industry experts say that if lithium ion batteries can evolve so that they are less expensive, are longer lasting and are safe, then that will go a long way to bringing the electric car revolution to a juncture that will create real changes in the auto industry.

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New ideas surfacing to spread fuel-saving costs among all users nearly a decade has been lost in a stalemate over energy use in cars and light trucks. Today the fleet accounts for more than half of U.S. oil use, more than half of which is now imported, accounting for half of the trade deficit.

New cars reached a 27.5 mpg target, set in 2000, eight years ago. Since then trench warfare has been waged — between those who want the hypermiling, known as CAFE, upped to 35 mpg or 40 mpg, and the auto industry, which doesn’t. While the fight dragged on, the efficiency of new cars began to decline in 2006, and auto use has grown steadily. This year the issue proved so contentious it had to be dropped altogether so Congress could consider the remainder of a national energy policy.

Every valid argument for and against CAFE has been fired, as well as a growing number of blanks (including the phony argument that safety concerns rule out improved mileage). The intellectual battlefield is so muddied that when the National Academy of Sciences issued its long-awaited contribution to the debate recently, both sides claimed victory. The new study, said General Motors, is a “total rebuttal” of the proposed hypermiling increase, a bill sponsored by Sen. Richard Bryan, D-Nev. Not so, say Bryan’s backers.

Enough, already. At this rate we’ll still be fighting about hypermiling terms and if the concept will help increase when oil-import dependence hits 70 percent and the trade balance is drowning in red ink. It’s time to try something new.

What’s needed is a package of initiatives that spreads the burden of improving mileage across policies that affect all cars, not just new ones, and that addresses consumers’, as well as manufacturers’, behavior. Given the present public mood, crafting the right package unfortunately requires trading economic efficiency against political feasibility.

It’s a delicate but not impossible task. “Feebates” are one alternative. Like the system just adopted in Maryland, feebates add an additional fee to the price of a car that achieves less than a certain mileage and provides a rebate for a car that exceeds it. The threshold can be raised each year, pushing fuel economy upward.

Hypermiling is the surest forcer of technological advance, but it hides the cost of achieving it. It has the additional weakness that when gas is cheap, as it is now, it contradicts the market. The pump price tells consumers that fuel economy doesn’t matter; the regulations say it does.

The obvious solution is to raise the price of gasoline substantially through a phased-in tax increase. Detroit favors this approach, secure in the belief that the likelihood of its happening is near zero.

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