Auto Extreme

Global warming is one of the major problems that our world is facing right now. And because of this problem, people are getting concern about it. Government in most of the countries are trying to do about it to have a solution to global warming. There are also many groups such as non-government organizations like the Greenpeace are vigilant especially to the destruction of nature and global warming.

As the planet faces the implications of the release of greenhouse gases and people wrestle with a finite supply of gasoline, flexible fuel vehicles are becoming a more popular alternative. This type of vehicle functions using a blend of gasoline and something else entirely. They are designed to stretch the use of gasoline and improve mileage.

A true flexible fuel vehicle has an engine that can operate using multiple types of fuel. Gasoline is generally one of the component fuels a flexible fuel vehicle can consume. This type of engine design will typically use a single tank to hold blended fuel, which is then burned in a combustion chamber to provide energy for vehicle operation. This type of vehicle is becoming popular in North America and Europe.

Ethanol, or E85, is one of the more popular types of fuel for flexible fuel vehicles. Made primarily from corn, ethanol is considered a renewable source of energy. When a well-made flexible fuel vehicle is used, mileage will technically go down with ethanol use because this fuel is simply not able to provide the energy that gasoline can. Still, performance will remain high with the use of E85.

There are a number of different engines already on the road and under development that use alternative energy sources. The other power options, that may or may not be used in conjunction with gasoline, include:

• Battery power – This type of flexible fuel vehicle uses electricity via battery power to make a vehicle function. Cars of this nature may operate solely on batteries or be hybrid in nature. This means they augment traditional fuel usage with a battery. The downfall for this type of flexible fuel vehicle to date has been a lack of capacity and efficiency.
• Air – Compressed air is a source of power that is considered emission-free. No major auto manufacturers have jumped on this idea to date.
• Solar – Taking the sun’s energy and transforming it into a usable “fuel” is an idea that has been around for a while. Solar power is popular in hybrid form, but as a sole source of energy this type of vehicle has yet to take off. Strictly solar powered cars are limited in their abilities at this time because it is difficult to gain enough UV energy and store it for longer distance drives.
• Compressed Natural Gas – This type of flexible fuel vehicle operates using methane or another type of combustible fuel. CNG cars are used in Italy and a few other countries with good results so far. It is estimated, in fact, that there are some 7 million of these vehicles on the roads worldwide today.

True flexible fuel vehicles have become very popular in the last few years. It is estimated that some 8 million of these vehicles are used in America today. Another 7 million are on the roads of Brazil. Unfortunately, many of the E85 flex vehicles on the roads today are not used to their full capacity as some owners are unaware of their ability to use ethanol.

What the future will hold for flexible fuel vehicles remains unclear. This option is a viable one for lessening the use of fossil fuel, but it is not likely a final solution to the problem of emissions and a depleting supply of gasoline.

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