Alternative Fuel Types for Motor Vehicles
Propane
Propane is a clean-burning, gaseous fuel that is
pressurized and stored as a liquid when used in
vehicles. When used as a vehicle fuel, it is
pressurized, stored as a liquid and burned as a gas.
It is often called LPG (liquefied petroleum gas) or
auto propane.
Most of Canada's propane is a co-product of natural
gas production. About 85 percent of Canada's propane is produced at natural
gas plants in Western Canada, whereas the rest is a by-product of oil refining.
Propane is distributed by pipeline, railcar and bulk trucks and trailers. Like
gasoline, propane is sold in litres.
Natural gas
Natural gas is a clean-burning fuel, found in abundance in Canada as a mixture
of gases in porous rock formations. It is extracted from the ground, processed to
remove impurities and compressed to be stored and transported by pipeline.
Canada is one of the largest producers of natural gas in the world. Annual
production in 2005 surpassed 6 trillion cubic feet, mostly from Alberta and British
Columbia, and there are over 1 trillion cubic metres of proven reserves. Major
high-pressure pipelines carry natural gas from its source to pipelines of naturalgas utility companies, which in turn take it to your home for heating or to a retail
gasoline station to be compressed, stored and used to fuel vehicles.
Fuel cells and hydrogen
Fuel cells generate electricity by electrochemically combining hydrogen and
oxygen. On a life-cycle basis, they can produce zero or very low emissions,
depending on the source of the hydrogen. Fuel cells are energy-conversion
devices that utilize hydrogen and other fuels.
Fuel cell applications will likely be used in portable and stationary power devices,
possibly followed by transportation applications. Most automobile manufacturers
are now working on later prototypes for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Due to the
variety of fuels available for conversion to hydrogen, fuel cells are a viable
energy technology, one that may offer significant environmental, energy
efficiency, supply and economic benefits. But there are still many barriers to their
use in vehicles, including the lack of a hydrogen distribution infrastructure, high
capital costs for fuel cells and hydrogen-production technologies, and challenges
related to hydrogen storage.
Ethanol
What is ethanol?
Ethanol is a liquid alcohol made of oxygen,
hydrogen and carbon and is obtained from
the fermentation of sugar or converted
starch contained in grains and other
agricultural or agri-forest feedstocks. In
Canada, ethanol is presently made
principally from corn and wheat. Ethanol
can be produced for different applications,
for example, industrial ethanol or fuel grade ethanol. Research into technology to
produce ethanol from non-food sources is advancing rapidly and is close to
commercialization.
Fuel ethanol, which is sometimes referred to as "gasohol", has been distilled and
dehydrated to create a high-octane, water-free alcohol. All water must be
removed because a water-alcohol mixture cannot dissolve in gasoline. Fuel
ethanol is made unfit for drinking by adding a small amount of a noxious
substance such as gasoline.
Ethanol is blended with gasoline to produce a fuel which has environmental
advantages when compared with gasoline, and can be used in gasoline-powered
vehicles manufactured since the 1980's. Most gasoline-powered vehicles can run
on a blend consisting of gasoline and up to 10 percent ethanol, known as "E-10",
which is available at some regular service stations across Canada.
Some vehicles are specially manufactured to operate on an ethanol blend that
contains up to 85 percent ethanol and at least 15 percent gasoline. (The 15
percent gasoline is needed to assist in engine starting because pure ethanol is
difficult to ignite in cold weather.) This E-85 blend cannot be used in standard
gasoline vehicles, however vehicles designed to run with a high ethanol blend
can also operate using gasoline when necessary. E-85 is presently used by
some organizations with large vehicle fleets, but it is not yet commercially
available in Canada.
Biodiesel
What is biodiesel?
Biodiesel is a non-toxic and biodegradable fuel that is made from vegetable oils,
waste cooking oil, animal fats or tall oil (a by-product from pulp and paper
processing). Biodiesel is produced from these feedstocks through a process
called transesterification, by reacting the oil with an alcohol (usually methanol,
although ethanol can also be used) and a catalyst (such as sodium hydroxide).
The resulting chemical reaction produces glycerine and an ester called biodiesel.
The majority of biodiesel is produced by this method.
Compared with conventional diesel, biodiesel combusts better with a higher
cetane rating and produces fewer life cycle greenhouse gas emissions (GHG)
which contribute to climate change.
Biodiesel blends, a mixture of petroleum diesel and biodiesel, can be used in any
diesel engine. As biodiesel can be blended with diesel in any concentration, the
blend level depends on economics, availability, the desired emissions level,
material compatibility and combustion characteristics. An increasing number of
Original Equipment Manufacturers are endorsing the use of lower biodiesel
blends, e.g, 5% in their engines. Some manufacturers now extend warranty
coverage for new diesel powered vehicles to use lower blends of biodiesel,
provided the fuel meets applicable standards. Some manufacturers also provide
vehicles pre-filled with biodiesel blends.
In colder climates, biodiesel tends to lose viscosity, particularly at higher blend
levels. To counter this effect, changes to the feedstock source or additives may
be needed to address the cold flow properties of this fuel. Research and testing
is underway to reduce biodiesel production costs and address cold weather
problems.
What are battery-electric vehicles?
Battery-electric vehicles are powered by motors that draw electricity from onboard storage batteries, which act as an "engine" to propel it. Electric vehicles
don't produce pollution from the tailpipe or through fuel evaporation, which
means they have great potential to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
and smog-forming pollutants. Depending on the source of electricity used to
recharge the batteries, the vehicles can also have low overall (life-cycle) GHG
emissions.
Despite these environmental benefits, the use of purely battery-electric vehicles
hasn't reached significant levels in Canada for three reasons: the cost; the size
and weight of the battery; and the lack of an adequate refuelling infrastructure.
Automakers have been developing electric vehicles for several decades, with
limited commercial success. However, users in California, where clean air
mandates are being put into action, have a limited number of purely electric
vehicles.
The batteries now used in electric vehicles limit the average vehicle's driving
range to between 100 and 200 kilometres, depending on the battery type. The
batteries must be recharged often, which takes up to eight hours each time,
compared with the few minutes needed to fill up with gasoline. They are also
heavy and bulky, which limits acceleration and top speed. Most batteries must be
replaced after 400 to 500 charges – an expensive proposition that offsets the
advantages of using low-cost electricity as an energy source.
Researchers, automakers and governments in Canada, the United States and
around the world are developing batteries that are smaller and lighter, can be
recharged more quickly and will store more power. Researchers are also
developing aerodynamic designs and experimenting with lightweight materials
(such as carbon fibre and plastic body parts) to reduce vehicle weight and energy
demand.
The final goal is to build light-duty battery-electric vehicles that offer acceleration
and speeds that are similar to conventional vehicles. To achieve broad consumer
acceptance, battery-electric vehicles will likely need to have a driving range of
close to 300 kilometers between rechargings and a battery life of 5 to 10 years.
A number of batteries under development might enable electric vehicles to meet
these performance requirements. Some of these batteries are already being
used in the few electric vehicles commercially available on the market, while
others are being tested in prototype electric vehicles.