Hybrids and alternitive fuels: are they the answer?
Hybrids have been something that people have been talking about for a long time. Rising fuel costs have brought up the demand, and many car companies have answered the call and manufactured several differnt models. These cars get good gas milage and help the demand for gas, therefore the demand for oil, to go down. But even with the advancements, these cars are not widespread. They still have their own issues to overcome.
Pure electrical cars have also been on the testing agenda, but still have major problems, some being: lack of distance they can travel, costo of electricity to charge them, etc. These cars, for the time being, are still not practical for the average american.
But new advancements in the politics of the situation are looking bright. a new group of people, the Set America Free Coalition, are pushing for the advancement of studies of alternitive fuels, better battery cars, etc. The Febuary 3rd (2007) issue of World magazine wrote an article about this group. They are part of top of the line research, and they say that new advancements are looking good. Electricity is getting cheaper, and the technology for manufacturing alternitive fuels is advanceing. Ethenol, the most promising alternitive fuel source, is getting easier to make. Corn is still the main source of this, but great advancements in the science of this is making it possible to get Ethenol out of plants, grass, and even wood chips. This would help to stem the tide of corn that is being boughten out of the lower states (and thus raising the price of corn in mexico to astronomical prices).
With these two technology’s, World Magazine stated that a plug in car in the future could get up to 100 mpg, and if alternitive fuels (with 85% Ethenol) were exchanged for gasoline, these cars could get up to 500 mpg.
This is a welcome relief for many people, and is a promising look at what could be coming in the near future. Only time will tell.
~Jax