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Fuel Replacement For Cars

Fuel Replacement for Cars

When Fred Flintstone stepped into his car and headed off to the rock quarry, he didn't have to worry about the effects of gasoline pollution--Fred's car was fueled by his own feet. Of course, Fred was also a cartoon, so trying to follow his example is a moot point.
In the real world, gasoline emissions from motor vehicles account for about 44 percent of the primary ingredient in smog--hydrocarbons, which is released into the air during fuel evaporation. With 150 million cars and trucks on American roads, being driven almost 2 trillion miles each year, it's no wonder there is a serious problem with the quality of our air (terHorst 44). Certainly air quality could be improved if we reduced the evaporative emissions from these millions of vehicles, both new and old. Fuel evaporation from vehicles stalled in heavy traffic, for example, is responsible for in large part for the smog in a major cities such as Los Angeles.
But even if we cracked down on the auto makers to build cars with higher standards--and today's new cars do eliminate 96 percent of the hydrocarbons, 96 percent of the carbon monoxide, and 76 percent of the nitrogen oxides that come out of the tailpipe--there are other problems associated with the use of gasoline (terHorst 44).
As futuristic writer George Orwell observed in his 1937 essay, The Road to Wigan Pier, "Our civilization is founded on coal" (Brower 20). If we update that to reflect the present day use of petroleum, it still applies. But we can't continue to power our cars by burning fossil fuel without serious risk to our environment. Other than air pollution, acid rain is another consequence of fossil fuel use. We also must consider global warming, the risks of which can't be reduced without development of alternatives, for one thing, the use of fossil fuel in our cars (Brower 20).
In the late 19th century, the fuels that were most suitable for the automobile were coal tar distillates. By the early...