Many of our clients in the Dallas area call us with questions about alternative fuels. We wanted to take a little time to put together this list of the types of alternative fuels to help and answer some of those questions.
In this article, Northwest Propane Gas Company looks at the top types of alternative fuels available.
Ethanol
An alcohol-based alternative fuel created by fermenting and distilling crops such as:
- Corn
- Barley
- Wheat
It is often blended with gasoline. These materials are renewable, but ethanol subsidies can have an adverse impact on food prices.
Natural Gas
Natural gas burns clean and is already widely available in many areas through utility companies to both homes and businesses. Many cars and trucks with specially designed engines will produce fewer damaging emissions than gasoline or diesel, but natural gas production creates methane, which is a greenhouse gas.
Electricity
Electricity is becoming more popular to use as an alternative fuel for battery-powered electric and fuel-cell vehicles. Unfortunately, much electricity is generated today from coal or natural gas, leaving a bad carbon footprint.
Hydrogen
Hydrogen can be mixed with natural gas to create an alternative fuel for vehicles that use certain types of internal combustion engines. Positive: No bad emissions. Negative: Cost. And also the lack of fueling infrastructure and difficulty of putting it in place.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel is an alternative fuel created with vegetable oils or even animal fats. Biodiesel is a safe, biodegradable alternative fuel but it is in limited production.
Propane
Propane is a byproduct of natural gas processing and crude oil refining. Since is is already widely used as a fuel for cooking and heating, propane is the most popular alternative fuel for vehicles. Propane produces fewer emissions than gasoline and is largely produced and distributed.
Call Northwest Propane Gas Company
Give us a call at 972-247-6121 to learn more about alternative fuel types.