Types of Alternative Fuels/Eco Cars
Below is a list of the main types of alternative fuels which help make eco cars 'green'. For the foreseeable future these will save you money on your fuel bills, depending on your driving requirements.
Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) - Once limited by the number of filling stations available country-wide, this type of fuel has grown in popularity, mostly because of its price.
Advantages:
- Cheaper price point (50% cheaper or less)
- Convert your current car
- Converted cars will be bi-fuel, allowing switching to petrol if necessary
- The cost of conversion will soon pay for itself
- If you want to sell your converted car, you may well get more for it than unconverted.
Disadvantages:
- Cost of conversion, (varies according to vehicle)
- Loss of some boot space when unit is fitted
- Lower top speed
- Refilling can be slower than refilling with petrol or diesel
Electric cars - Quiet to drive, Zero Emission Vehicles, ideal for city driving; these cars should have a very good future ahead of them.
Advantages:
- No internal combustion engine means no conventional fuel required
- As renewable electricity becomes more efficiently produced, electric cars will truly become Zero Emission Vehicles
- Currently the most environmentally friendly solution
- Running costs are low at about 2p per mile
- No Congestion Charge to pay in cities, potentially saving around £2000 per year
Disadvantages:
- High initial cost to purchase, (more than a conventional car)
- Recharge points, other than at home, are not yet in convenient and abundant supply
- Lower top speed
- Better used for relatively short journeys, (up to about 60 miles), rather than longer ones.
Hybrid cars - Part combustion engine, part electric car. This is what conventional cars aspire to become.
Advantages:
- Less conventional fuel required, thus cheaper to run
- Feels like a normal car to drive, unless you switch to electric mode.
- Fill-up at any conventional filling station
- Lower road tax charge
- Lower emissions = better for the environment
- Many hybrids use 'regenerative braking' which helps to recharge the battery whenever you brake
- The demand for these types of cars will grow, meaning they won't depreciate in value as quickly.
- No Congestion Charge to pay in cities, potentially saving around £2000 per year
Disadvantages:
- Higher initial cost to purchase than a conventional equivalent
- Services will need to be done by specialists at present, which would work out to be more expensive
Biodiesel - Sunflower oil, vegetable waste oil, palm oil - just three of many bio products that can be added to the normal mineral oil content to create a cleaner fuel for diesel engines.
Advantages:
- It can be used in any conventional, unmodified diesel engine
- The bio oil element helps the lubrication of the engine, in turn improving the overall life of the engine
- This is a renewable fuel source
- Lower emissions of deadly and environmentally unfriendly gases
Disadvantages:
- Biodiesel can degrade certain elements in an engine such as rubber pipes.
- In cooler climates, at low temperatures, the biodiesel can thicken more quickly and cause starting and engine problems
