Even though there has been great interest in cars that are powered by electricity, as opposed to depending on burning gas, there are still not many choices that could be called a truly all electric car.

Most of the electric cars that can be seen driving around the neighborhood streets are those that are called hybrid electric cars. These cars utilize two different modes of power: gas motor power and electric motor power, which work in tandem to conserve the amount of gasoline consumed to propel the vehicle.

There are some very hopeful developments and progressions being made. Progress that will please those who are looking forward to being able to boast of an all electric car that they can proudly use for most of their transportation needs.

There is good news within the auto industry and word is quickly seeping out to the public. There are some promising all electric car models that have been on the drawing board for some time and have progressed to the point that the manufacturers are expecting to have them on showroom floors and out on the streets within the next 12 to 18 months.

Of course, many people caution against becoming overly optimistic over these reports. Auto manufacturers behind these innovative electric cars have somewhat of a reputation for underestimating the timelines to work out all of the kinks and get the vehicles fully into production.

The first of the all electric car models expected to be on the market is the Zap Zebra. It is said that the Zap electric car is really more of a golf cart that has been pumped up to make it street-legal for roads with a speed limit of 45 MPH or less. This electric vehicle is expected to retail for under $10,000 and will boast a top speed of 40 MPH. However, it will have a rather limited range of 40 miles before needing a boost.

Another interesting option in the all electric car category is the Tesla Roadster that runs off of lithium ion batteries that are commonly found in laptop computers. The Tesla Company claims that it’s electric roadster will have a range of over 250 miles and that it can accelerate from zero to 60 in just 4.5 seconds, which makes it competitive with gasoline powered cars. It is interesting that speed and acceleration are featured in this small electric car, an area that has not been well addressed by other manufacturers of electric cars. The fact is, electric motors have the capability of powering a vehicle with sports car attributes, because the torque curve and the RMP range of the electric motor power is actually much better than that of combustion engines. There are two questions from industry experts. How will the Tesla manage the heat thrown off by their battery array? And two, what is the expected life-span of the batteries?

The biggest challenge to developing viable all electric car options boils down to the same issue: current available battery technology. Industry experts say that if lithium ion batteries can evolve so that they are less expensive, are longer lasting and are safe, then that will go a long way to bringing the electric car revolution to a juncture that will create real changes in the auto industry.

The fear of global warming has led to some interesting alternative energy ideas for the future that would have less impact on the environment. Constant research takes place daily for sources of energy that utilize our natural resources, have little repercussion on our atmosphere, cost less and are naturally renewable.

There has been much research in the area of solar power, tapping geothermal heat inside the earth, harnessing the power of the tides as an energy sources and wind turbines, but scientists are going further into their imaginations to develop energy from sources never thought of before.

For instance; scientists are studying marine algae in the hopes that they could generate power from the methane given off by rotting algae; the methane could
then be harnessed to provide methane for burning to power industrial needs for energy. Corn is being tested as a fuel (ethanol) for cars, as well as home heating sources, and there are many other areas that you may not have thought about.

Early studies are looking at falling rain and how it might be used to generate power (same premise as harnessing wave power). I’m not a scientist, so I can’t even begin to explain how or why this might work.

The idea I like best is powering our own personal IPod, cell phone and home computer by walking power. A leg brace, equipped with an electricity generator, gets the power from your every step. Need it charged quickly? Go for a long run; need a little power to
power my laptop to get me through the meeting, go walk an hour!

Have you heard about running your car on water fuel? Well, it is properly called hydrogen fuel cell technology and it is here to save the planet. Oil and gas prices are soaring higher and higher and there will come a time when people realize that they should consider an alternative fuel energy source.

Admit it, everyday your car emissions are contributing to pollution. If you want to reduce pollution and at the same time save money, you need to make use of hydrogen fuel cell technology; find out more by reading this article.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is not new. It started more or less eighty years ago but since it is quite expensive, scientists and researchers don’t find it a good alternative fuel source. Aside from the hydrogen technology, other technologies have surfaced years ago such as the use of vegetable oil and sugar cane to run a car. However, these technologies did not achieve great success because of the hefty price, climate restrictions, and other issues regarding safety on the road. In short, these technologies were unstable.

Hydrogen fuel cell technology is different. In fact, there are now converted hydrogen cars roaming the streets of US, Europe, and Canada. This improved technology is now more stable. Have you tried surfing the internet? The hydrogen fuel cell kits are widely available online and anyone can get it as long as they want to take advantage of the hydrogen technology.

Experts did not find vegetable oil and sugar cane as viable options. Can hydrogen technology offer something different? If you want proof, the technology is proof in itself since it is science reality. With hydrogen technology, you will still need gasoline aside from the HHO generator and conversion tool.

The conversion tool will need electricity from the car battery and this will be used to conduct the process of electrolysis. Through the process, hydrogen will be extracted from water and in turn provide the car with added power. Obviously, at this point in time, hydrogen technology can’t replace the use of diesel or gasoline. Well, who knows what might happen in the future.

By following the Hydrogen Fuel Conversion Guide , you can reduce your fuel consumption to a great extent and save lots of money. Now, why did scientists and researchers find this technology viable? The reason is that hydrogen technology is much more affordable now. In fact, car companies will soon offer the public with affordable hydrogen powered vehicles.

Conversion projects are easy to build and are quite affordable. If you’re interested with the hydrogen technology, surf the net now. Check out the available resources that are in store for you. You will surely get tremendous savings by simply investing on the fuel cell kits online.

Even if you buy the ‘built fuel cells’, the cost is still nothing compared to the savings that you will get in return. Well, if you want changes, you definitely have to spend some money. This is a very good investment because you’re not only helping yourself but you’re also helping the world.

Find guides online to help you go through with your conversion project. Perhaps you have a friend or a relative who converted their car already. Ask help from them so that the task is immediately finished. If everyone in the world consider the use of hydrogen fuel cell technology, life will improve.

Even if you choose to adopt biodiesel for your vehicle, biodiesel pumps are impossible to encounter. Its price is also sky high. The global supply of biodiesel is short, on account of no one is mass producing it.

This is a very familiar misconception. Biodiesel is being bulk produced all over the world. In Europe, for example, biodiesel is very popular. For the preceding five years, biodiesel production has been snowballing by about 10% every year. In 2007, the European Union produced a total of 5 713 000 tonnes of biodiesel, a 16.5% increase over 2006.

Germany is by far the biggest producer of biodiesel in Europe. After all, Germany has been producing biodiesel since 1999. In 2007, Germany generated more than 50% of Europe’s biodiesel.

Even all this is not enough to comfort environmentally-conscious European drivers. To meet the voracious consumer demand, Neste Oil has invested $ 814 million to build a biodiesel plant in Singapore. The plant is expected to produce 800 000 tonnes of biodiesel annually.

Until that plant is built, the European Union must continue to import biodiesel from the United States. In 2008, the United States produced 2 555 000 tonnes of biodiesel. Compare this to the 1.6 million tonnes produced in 2007: a 60% increase.

The Japanese are growing into the biodiesel market as well. The nation is well-known for its consumption of disposable chopsticks: almost 90 000 tonnes of wood is discarded ereally year. Researchers are looking into generating biodiesel from this would-be waste.

In addition to producing biodiesel within its borders, Japan is also actively investing in other countries. In 2007, Japan invested $ 800 million for a biodiesel plant in Cambodia. The plant should produce an additional 40 000 tonnes of biodiesel ereally year. The same year, Japan also invested $ 50 million for a biodiesel centre in the Phillipines.

Even developing countries are jumping on the biodiesel bandwagon. China, for example, is a booming economy. It needs all the energy it can get. In 2005, China produced 1 million tonnes of biodiesel. The figure is comparatively low, as China was centering on ethanol manufacturing. However, China plans to expand its biodiesel production to 2 million tonnes by 2010.

The world is beginning to see the benefits of biodiesel. The fuel releases 75% less carbon dioxide than gasoline, and no sulphur compounds whatsoever. It contains few contaminants, burning cleanly. But best of all, biodiesel is renewable. Corporations and citizens alike are becoming more environmentally aware.

With all this manufacturing, where is the consumption? Europe is a bulkive consumer of biodiesel. Although it produced 5.7 million tonnes of biodiesel in 2007, it also imported 1 million tonnes from the United States. Many biodiesel pumps can be found in Europe, in particular in Germany.

North America is also catching on. If you live in a big city, chances are that a biodiesel station is not far away from your home. Major gas stations, such as Shell, are also introducing biodiesel pumps at their gas stations. Although biodiesel stations are still rare when compared to gasoline or diesel stations, we are making progress.

To find the biodiesel station closest to your home, check out Mapquest or Google Maps. Both applications allow you to search for alternative fuel stations.

Biodiesel is at the forefront of environmentally friendly technologies. As with anything new, it is the subject of many misconceptions. This article presents you with five common misconceptions about biodiesel.

Misconception 1: To use biodiesel, you need to modify your engine. If you already have a diesel engine, it should burn biodiesel flawlessly. Of course there are the odd exceptions, such as the Audi A3. Check the operating manual for your vehicle. If it does not specifically prohibit biodiesel, biodiesel can be used.

Misconception 2: Biodiesel will ruin a good diesel engine. On the contrary, biodiesel is good for your engine! Regular diesel, the type that is derived from petroleum, contains many contaminants. When it is combusted, particulate matter is left behind.
This particulate matter, from burning regular diesel, can impair the functioning of the engine. Biodiesel, on the other hand, has fewer contaminants. It combusts cleanly. Why? Unlike regular diesel, biodiesel itself contains oxygen. This allows for more complete combustion.

In fact, when you switch to biodiesel, the biodiesel will wash away the engine’s existing contaminants. Biodiesel also has a slightly different consistency than regular diesel. Its extra smoothness lubricates the engine, and allows the latter to run more effectively.

Misconception 3: Using biodiesel makes your car smell bad. Biodiesel and diesel vehicles in general have both gotten a bad rap when it comes to their odor. Yes, petroleum-based diesel smells bad. Biodiesel on the other hand does not. If you use 100% biodiesel, you will notice an odor reminiscent of French fries. And who doesn’t like French fries?

Diesel smells bad because it contains contaminants, and because its combustion releases lots of pollutants. However, biodiesel is very clean, and when combusted, releases very few noxious gases. For instance, while diesel emits sulphur compounds, biodiesel does not produce them at all.

Misconception 4: Biodiesel results in a significant loss of power. Correctly, biodiesel opponents identify that biodiesel contains less usable energy per volume. This may result in fewer miles per gallon. Torque may also decrease slightly. However, this decrease is barely noticeable, at 2-3%.

Imagine trying to drive 100km from a friend’s cottage to your home. To complete this journey, you would require 7 litres of regular diesel, or 7.21 litres of biodiesel. While you wish to drive at 100km/h, biodiesel may force you to make do with 97km/h. The difference is insignificant.

Misconception 5: Even if I wanted to use biodiesel, I could never find it. With the growing environmentalist movement, biodiesel pumps are springing up all over. If you live in a relatively large city, such as Detroit or Mississauga, you should be able to find a biodiesel pump.

Alternative fuel locators exist all over the internet. Simply type in your postal code, and these search engines will locate the nearest biodiesel pump to your home. Mapquest and Google Maps, for instance, both list biodiesel pump locations.

Finally, if you can’t buy biodiesel, you could always make your own: vegetable oil, methanol and lye could go a long way. This is not a serious suggestion, unless you have loads of time and money to spare. It simply is not economical.

You have discovered that biodiesel is friendly to the environment, and consequently, you wish to use biodiesel instead of gasoline or diesel. Excellent choice! But now you have some questions: can my car use biodiesel? If not, what modifications do I need to make? Who do I get to make these modifications?

If your car runs on diesel, chances are you can use biodiesel without any modifications. Go to your biodiesel pump, and fill up your tank with 100% biodiesel. Your car should run with no problems. A few diesel engines, however, are very pesky, and cannot deal with biodiesel. Examine your manual, and look for specific prohibitions against using biodiesel. Out of the well-known makes, only the A3, by Audi, has such a prohibition. If the manual contains no such warnings or prohibitions, your diesel engine is ready for biodiesel.

This leads to the idea of warranty. If you switch to biodiesel, will the warranty on your car become invalid? Biodiesel usage is approved by most major car manufacturers, and will not void your warranty. In fact, voiding a customer’s warranty due to biofuel usage is illegal under American federal law. However, it never hurts to check.

Remember that biodiesel burns cleaner than regular diesel. Regular diesel, when combusted, leaves behind particulate matter. If your car has been running on diesel for the past few years, the inside of your engine is likely covered in grime. Biodiesel removes this grime from your engine. However, these particles, carried by the biodiesel, clog up the fuel filter. After switching to biodiesel, you should change your fuel filter after a few hours of driving. You should experience no problems from here on.

Another problem to watch for is fuel lines made of natural rubber hosing. Some models of cars, especially those made before 1994, use natural rubber for the fuel lines. If your car has hosing made of natural rubber, you simply need to switch the hosing to an appropriate synthetic material. Ask a mechanic for help, and you’ll be done in 15 minutes.

If you have a gasoline engine, on the other hand, do not fill up your tank with biodiesel. Even regular diesel will cause problems when used in a gasoline engine. Diesel’s lower octane level and decreased fuel vaporization will lead to engine damage.

To use biodiesel in your gasoline-run vehicle, you need to switch to a diesel engine. After changing the engine, you may need to modify the car’s suspension brackets or other parts. Legal issues, as well as warranty issues, may also be in play here, so do your research.

In the end, if you wish to switch from gasoline to biodiesel, you may be better off trading in your current car for a new one. This way you risk no complications from the engine switchover, legal issues or warranty issues. Biodiesel is extremely beneficial for the environment, and is quite affordable. In many cases, switching to biodiesel requires no modifications to your current vehicle. Making the change is highly recommended.

Geothermal As A Green Energy Source

We have the technology to do a lot of things and one of these is to tap the earth’s energy. This is exactly what we do when we decide to use geothermal which happens to be a green energy source.

Geothermal energy is energy obtained by tapping heat from the earth itself. This comes from magma and the radioactive decay of uranium, thorium, and potassium.

The downside to geothermal energy is the fact that it is expensive to build. On the other hand, because the earth’s crust continuously decays replenishing the heat, it is still a renewable source of energy.

There are three types of geothermal plants around. These are namely dry steam, flash, and binary.

Dry steam plants take steam out of fractures in the ground and use it to directly drive a turbine that spins a generator.

Flash plants take on water at temperatures over 200 °C, out of the ground, and allows it to boil as it rises to the surface then separates the steam phase in steam/water separators which runs the steam through a turbine to generate electricity.

Last, you have binary plants. Here, hot water flows through heat exchangers and that boiling organic fluid is what spins the turbine.

Once power is generated, the condensed steam and remaining geothermal fluid from all three types of plants are injected back into the hot rock to pick up more heat.

Geothermal plants are used operational in different parts of the globe. These are usually located in geologically unstable parts of the planet. You can see some in Chile, Iceland, New Zealand, United States, the Philippines and Italy. At home, two most prominent areas for this are in the Yellowstone basin and in northern California.

Aside from digging deep into the earth, there are some who believe we can generate power from hot dry rocks. You have to dig 3 kilometers deep are drilled into the earth first to find these hot underground radiogenic granite rocks. Right now, some Australia companies are exploring this technology.

If you were to compare the amount of energy collected from geothermal to solar, you still get more from the sun. Despite that, people should still use it since solar energy cannot be harnessed when the clouds block the sun’s rays from reaching the solar panels.

Geothermal energy is a green energy source just like wind, hydropower and biofuel because it is a renewable. By maximizing its potential, we don’t have to worry about the price of oil in the world market when it hit more than $110 a barrel and is now under $40 in the world market.

But that is not the only thing we should be concerned about. We should also do our best to protect the environment given that coal fired and nuclear power plants produce harmful gases and radioactive waste that may cause to people and the surrounding areas.

Everyone knows that our planet has changed due to global warming. We learned our lessons from Chernobyl and Three Mile Island but this does not mean it may not happen again.

For us to do our share to protect the environment now and for generations to come, we have to promote alternative energy and geothermal as a green energy source is just one of many that is currently available.

While wind purchase and alterative sources of electricity are becoming quite popular, and even common, in some parts of the world, Canada has been using wind electricity for years. Canada wind power has been a natural part of the commercial and residential systems in Canada. And, if you’re thinking of moving to the country soon, or think that you want to do business with a Canadian company, you should definitely learn more about Canada wind power.

Canada wind power was the most popular in Ontario, but other cities, such as Quebec and Alberta, used wind turbines to generate small amounts of energy for neighborhoods and businesses as well. At the end of the 20th century and beginning of the 21st century, all Canadian provinces had explored some form of wind electricity power to supplement traditional forms of electricity and fuels. At present, British Columbia is the only province that operates without a commercial wind farm, but the area’s electronic company, BC Hydro, has recently issued Electricity Purchase Agreements for over 300 MW of wind-powered electricity, and other wind farms are being built across the country so that more citizens can experience the benefits.

Pumping water and generating electricity in a number of smaller locations has been done on Canada for decades now, especially on the prairie farms that are quite abundant in the country. Even so, the amount of wind electricity that is generated in Canada is fairly small in comparison to other sources such as coal and hydro-power. At the end of 2008, Canada wind power accounted for only about one percent of the country’s alternative energy demands. There are about 85 wind farms in Canada at this time, and this represents almost 2300 MW of generating capacity.

Because wind electricity is such a renewable resource and is good for the environment, the Canadian Wind Energy Association has created a strategy that will introduce more wind power Canada to the country. According to the Association, there should be 55,000 MW produced in Canada by the year 2025, and this should meet about 20 percent of the country’s total energy needs.

U.S. cities, such as Chicago and Detroit, are now giving more consideration to wind electricity due to Canada wind power as well. These cities are close to the Canadian border, and have a number of factories and plants that can benefit from alternative forms of energy in order to save money for the city and preserve the environment. There are a number of wind hybrid projects that are taking place in Canada as well, which can help the surrounding areas to preserve fossil fuels and save on national budgets in the long run.

Gasoline and other petroleum products, when burned, release noxious gases into the air, increasing smog and global warming. Knowing the harmful effects of smog and global warming on the human population, as well as the biosphere, scientists are on the hunt for a cleaner source of energy.

One of the leading candidates today is biodiesel. Chemically speaking, biodiesel is a long chain ester. It can be made by combining alcohol and lipids. Animal fats, such as lard or butter, and vegetable oils, such as corn and olive oil, are used to produce biodiesel.

An obvious advantage of biodiesel immediately comes to mind: reuse of fats and oils. Restaurants and other confectioneries frequently use grease to deep fry their products. After three or four batches of fries or onion rings, the oil can no longer be used. On a busy night, a restaurant can through ten or more gallons of oil.

What do we do with this oil? Before the advent of biodiesel, this oil was thrown away as waste. However, this used oil is no longer regarded as waste. In fact, many businesses have sprung up, specializing in the collection of deep fry oil from restaurants.

These agencies may recycle the oil, so that it can be resold, or they may turn the oil over to a biodiesel manufacturer. A few months later, the same oil that was used to fry your chicken is fuelling the city bus that you are riding.

In addition to biodiesel’s ability to reuse what would otherwise be waste, biodiesel also releases less carbon dioxide. Each gallon of gasoline, when burned, releases 24.30 pounds of the greenhouse gas. Conventional diesel releases 26.55 pounds. Biodiesel, on the other hand, releases only 5.84 pounds, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by over 75%.

Interestingly enough, biodiesel may also absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. From what materials is biodiesel made? Alcohol—and vegetable oil. The oil crops, be they soybeans or corn, constantly absorb carbon dioxide during their growth. Not only does biodiesel cut carbon dioxide emissions, it eliminates sulfur emissions completely. Furthermore, it also produces less carbon monoxide, an extremely toxic gas, and fewer smog-forming particles. Using biodiesel really does a lot for our air.

Furthermore, biodiesel generates much more energy than its manufacturing consumes. Gasoline, for instance, produces a net energy gain of 19.5 percent. That means if you used 100 kilowatt-hours to make some gasoline, that amount of gasoline would release 119.5 joules when burned.

Diesel’s energy gain figures are even lower: 15.7 percent. Biodiesel’s energy gain, however, took everyone by surprise: 220 percent! For every kilowatt-hour you put into making biofuel, you get 3.2 kilowatt-hours back.

Finally, did you know that biodiesel is good for your engine? Because biodiesel burns very cleanly, fewer particles of contaminants are left behind. This leads to reduced friction for the engine. Biodiesel’s smooth consistency also lends itself well to lubricating the engine.

Biodiesel presents obvious environmental advantages. It allows for reuse of waste materials. It reduces emissions of harmful gases. Finally, its energy generation capabilities are astronomical. Biodiesel may well become the fuel of the future.

When you look around the world at the rising cost of gasoline for vehicles, and consider a potential future oil crisis, you might be relieved that electric vehicles are finally starting to be developed. You might even be thinking, “It’s about time. What took them so long?”

But actually, it didn’t “take them long” at all. Electric vehicles are not, in fact, a new technology that is hurriedly being developed in the nick of time, in response to upcoming peak oil. These vehicles were developed well before the combustion engine rose to the fore; in the family of self-propelled carriages, the electric version is the older sibling, not the younger.

Records are a bit sketchy in many cases, but it’s well-known that the first electric carriage was invented somewhere in the 1830s. Yes, you heard right – as early as 1832 or thereabouts, the Scot, Robert Anderson, created what was very probably the first electric vehicle in the world. And he wasn’t the only one doing this in that decade. In 1835 in the Netherlands, a Professor Sibrandus Stratingh also designed an electric car, which his assistant, Christopher Becker then built.

Hot on the heels of these developments, another Scotsman, Robert Davidson, created a second electric vehicle, with the added advantage that this one used a (non-chargeable) electric cell as a power source. He shared the credit for that innovation with Thomas Davenport who did the same thing in the United States.

So you see that electric cars were well on their way, several decades before any serious development of oil-based vehicles. For most of the 19th century, when it came to self-propelling transportation, the main emphasis was on this type of car. In Britain and France especially, where the governments were on board, these vehicles became quite advanced for their time. It got to the point that speed and distance records were being kept, with the top recorded speed being 65 miles (or 105 kilometers) per hour. So these cars could go close to what people today would regard as highway speed, though undoubtedly they couldn’t run for as long a distance as today’s cars.

Electric vehicles seemed like the future of transportation throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s, with even the United States catching up and taking serious notice by the end of the 19th century. In fact, it was the Americans who established the very first commercial setting for these cars, with the Electric Carriage and Wagon Company of Philadelphia building the first fleet of electric taxis for New York City.

So although combustion vehicles were now on the scene, at the turn of the century the electric cars seemed well on their way to a rosy future. They were cleaner and quieter than gasoline-powered vehicles and didn’t require hand-cranking to get them started. They also didn’t need the long warm-up period that steam-powered vehicles did.

Then the electric starter was invented for the combustion cars, and cheap oil was discovered in Texas. And the rest, as everyone knows, is history. The electric car was shoved aside for many decades. It still carries the distinction, though, of being the older sibling of gas-powered cars, rather than the reverse.

But surely, you think, there’s one development today that really is new – the electric-gasoline hybrid car. However, electric vehicles won the race in that department too.

Ferdinand Porsche designed what was probably the first hybrid car in history, sometime between 1897 and 1899, using a gasoline engine to turn a generator which in turn charged batteries that ran the wheels. Gas-electric vehicles were produced in Germany, the United States, France, and Belgium, through the first two decades of the 20th century. Even in Canada, the Galt Motor Company introduced a genuine hybrid in 1914.

So one might almost consider the combustion engine, powered by cheap oil, to be an aberration, or perhaps an experiment to see if an alternative to electric energy might work better for self-propelled vehicles. These days it’s like people have begun to think, “Well, that experiment didn’t do so well, did it?” and are now returning to the safer and cleaner – and original – method of powering vehicles.