With so many initiatives currently underway around the world to reduce carbon emissions, it’s no wonder that the automotive industry is actively involved in producing and promoting the low-emission vehicles of the future.
While some have taken the step to eliminate petroleum fuels entirely, be it gasoline or diesel, some have made a slightly easier transition to vehicles that combine petroleum fuels with other means of energy to reduce fuel consumption. gas.
A good example of these are hybrid electric vehicles, which are simply more efficient in terms of battery and electric motor, allowing more efficient use of gasoline, which translates into lower consumption. Other forms of hybrid electric vehicles are those that employ solar power to offset fuel usage, which results in the same result.
There are two main reasons for this sudden fervor for alternative fuel cars. The first is the threat of global warming. While the long-term effects of global warming are much discussed and widely speculated, what is generally accepted is that the Earth’s surface is gradually warming at a higher rate than it should, altering its climates. This is thought to be due to the overproduction of greenhouse gases, which form a layer in the atmosphere that traps heat and reflects it back to Earth.
The main contributors to these greenhouse gases come from energy production, causing many homes to switch to green energy like solar panels.. Another big player in the greenhouse problem is vehicle exhaust, so the shift to alternative fuel cars is motivated in part by the need to preserve the future of the planet.
The second reason is more practical. Fossil fuels are a finite, rapidly diminishing resource. Due to the rules of supply and demand, the less there is, the more the price will go up. Therefore, the need for alternative fuels for vehicles is immediate, causing the automotive industry to invest a good deal of resources to solve this rapidly approaching problem.
While there are many hybrid vehicles, there are very few fully alternative fuel cars. The current problem with owning such a vehicle is the widespread unavailability of refueling places, requiring much more planning to reach the few service stations that serve them. Until a new industry standard is established, this situation is unlikely to change, meaning that the problems presented by the continued reliance on petroleum-derived fuels for cars will remain for the foreseeable future.
