Transportation Fuels: The Future is Today
PETROLEUM – BLACK GOLD
For more than a century, petroleum has been the lifeblood of our transportation system. In the
United States alone, we use more than 13 million barrels (that’s 403 million gallons!) of oil each
day to keep us on the move. It's no wonder that petroleum is often referred to as "black gold."
No one can argue the importance of the automobile in modern society. Driving has become an
important part of our daily lives. In fact, Americans drive their personal vehicles about 4 trillion
miles a year. Commercial trucks drive 183 billion miles and buses drive 6.5 billion. There are a
lot of vehicles racking up that kind of mileage: 203,000,000 personal vehicles, 7,000,000
commercial trucks and 700,000 buses.
ALL THAT GLITTERS...
These vehicles require fuels that are economical and convenient. Today, about 98 percent of the
vehicles in the U.S. are powered by petroleum or diesel fuel. America's vast transportation
network of refineries, pipelines, and service stations has been designed for petroleum fuels. But
there are problems with using petroleum.
Today, the United States imports about two-thirds of its petroleum from other countries, about
twice as much as during the oil embargoes of the 1970s, when American drivers waited in lines
for hours to buy gasoline. These oil shocks and the Persian Gulf War made Americans painfully
aware of the dangers of depending on foreign oil, a danger that still exists today. Though our oil
supply might seem stable today, the unrest in the Middle East could cause shortages or much
higher prices at any time.
Auto manufacturers have done a good job of reducing emissions from vehicles. Since the 1960s,
when controls were first introduced, emissions from vehicles have been reduced by more than 95
percent. Even though pollutants represent less than one percent of the fuel consumed, the large
number of cars and growing quantities of fuel they use result in emissions that constitute major
health and environmental concerns. Although per-vehicle emissions continue to decrease and
average vehicle mileage increases, people keep driving more miles in more vehicles.
The millions of cars, trucks, and buses on the road today contribute half or more of the air
pollution in many metropolitan areas. According to the Environmental Protection Agency,
almost one-half of all people in the U.S. live in areas that are not in compliance with federal air
quality standards. This has led to a concerted effort to develop alternatives to petroleum fuels.
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TAKING AN ALTERNATIVE ROUTE
On and off-road motor vehicles can be powered by fuels other than gasoline and diesel.
Alternative fuels such as propane, natural gas, methanol, ethanol, biodiesel and electricity can
help reduce our nation's oil consumption and dependence on foreign oil, as well as reduce the
transportation sector's impact on the environment.
Each of these alternative fuels has advantages and disadvantages and may be better suited to
some regions and transportation needs than others. Every year, the role of these fuels expands
considerably and people have the choice of a larger variety of alternative fuel vehicles.
YOUR TASK…
The state of Connecticut is developing a plan to reduce emissions from vehicles--including
personal vehicles, school buses, public buses, sanitation trucks, police and emergency vehicles,
and the state’s fleet of automobiles.
As a first step towards developing this plan, you are being asked to do research on six of the
most promising alternative fuels, identify the advantages and disadvantages of each, and make
recommendations based on your findings.
To accomplish this task, you will work in teams, as assigned by your teacher. Each team will be
assigned a different alternative fuel to investigate. The six alternative fuels that will be
investigated are: Biodiesel, Electricity, Ethanol, Hydrogen, Natural Gas, and Propane.
The following table provides an overview of the steps involved in this project.
Overview of the Transportation Fuels Project
Step
1. Plan
Activity
Work with your team to plan how you will complete the project.
2. Research Gather information about your alternative fuel from at least 3 reliable
sources.
3. Learn
Study and take notes from the information you’ve collected to learn more
about your alternative fuel.
4. Prepare
Prepare slides and a script for your portion of the presentation. Integrate
your slides with the others from your team to create a complete
presentation.
5. Practice
Practice the presentation with your team. Give and receive feedback to
make your presentation even better.
6. Teach
Your team will teach others by presenting to the class.
50 points, see rubric for grading criteria.
As other groups teach, complete a graphic organizer with information
about the other alternative fuels.
Write an essay comparing and contrasting two of the alternative fuels
you learned about in class.
50 points, see rubric for grading criteria.
7. Learn
8. Write
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Details of Transportation Fuels Project
 when
complete
STEP 1: Plan
With your team, discuss how you will complete the project. Break the project down
into 4 parts. An individual member of the team will be responsible for each part (AD):
A. Technology – completely describe the fuel, how it is made, and what it is
made from; trace the fuel to its source
B. Economics – explain whether the fuel is renewable or non-renewable, its
cost, distribution and availability
C. Advantages – describe the advantages of this fuel, including environmental
benefits
D. Disadvantages – describe the disadvantages of this fuel, including
environmental drawbacks
Step 2: Research
Work together to gather information about your alternative fuel. Before you begin,
brainstorm a list of questions to consider as you look for information.
For example:
 What is the chemical composition of the fuel?
 Is the fuel available in your area? If not, how long will it be before it is
practical to use this fuel?
 What types of vehicles can use the fuel?
 What are the costs associated with the fuel?
 What are the challenges to developing a widespread market for the fuel?
 Would you buy a vehicle that uses the fuel? Why or why not?
You must use and cite at least 3 reliable sources. Suggested Internet sources:
 U.S. Department of Energy Alternative Fuels and Advanced Vehicles Data
Center http://www.afdc.energy.gov/afdc/
 U.S. Department of Energy Vehicle Technologies Program
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/deployment/education/index.
html
 Fueleconomy.gov Alternative Fuels Information
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/current.shtml
 A Student’s Guide to Alternative Fuel Vehicles
http://www.energyquest.ca.gov/transportation/index.html
 PBS Newshour Reports on Alternative Fuels
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/indepth_coverage/science/alt_fuels/
Step 3: Learn
 Study and take notes from the information you’ve collected to learn about
your alternative fuel.
 Prepare a brief outline for your portion of the presentation.
 As a group, review everyone’s notes to ensure that you have all the necessary
information. If some information is still needed, make sure someone
volunteers to find it!
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Step 4: Prepare
 Students will have the option of preparing a Keynote Presentation or
creating a podcast/flyer.
Keynote Presentation
 Each individual should prepare 2 or 3 slides, and a script (what you will say)
to go with their slides.
 Prepare the presentation using Apple Keynote presentation software. Create
an interesting presentation that includes images and text.
 Choose a Keynote template that everyone on your team agrees to use.
 Combine your slides with the others from your team to create a complete
presentation. Make sure the presentation and the script cover the same
information.
 The presentation should include an Introduction slide and a Summary slide.
 The entire presentation should take from five to ten minutes.
 See rubric for details.
Podcast/Flyer
 Each individual should prepare part of a script in which they will record as
an audio mp3 file. This will then be transferred to a podcast (see teacher for
assistance.)
 The podcast should last about five to ten minutes.
 Each student will also contribute to the creation of a brochure or flyer
depicting the major points of the podcast. This will be created digitally, so
that it may be posted on the wikipage.
 See rubric for more details.
Step 5: Practice
 Practice your part of the presentation so that you don't have to read it
directly from the cards. One strategy is to write the important information
on note cards that you can refer to during the presentation.
 Practice the entire presentation as a team.
Step 6: Teach
 Teach others by presenting your information to the class.
 Your part of the presentation, and the work you have done leading up to it,
will be graded using the “Student Presentation Rubric.”
Step 7: Learn
 As other groups present, complete a graphic organizer (template provided)
with information about the other alternative fuels.
 Take good notes, because you will need them for the next step…
Step 8: Write an essay
 Each individual will write an essay comparing and contrasting two of the
alternative fuels we have learned about (you may use your assigned fuel as
one of the two).
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The essay will be written in class.
You may use only your graphic organizer as a resource to help you with
your essay.
The essay will be graded using a rubric that will be provided in advance.
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