Alternative fuels can help reduce dependence on petroleum and lower emissions. Common alternative fuel types include ethanol, methanol, propane, natural gas, biodiesel, biogas, and electricity. Ethanol is produced from crops and can be used in flexible fuel vehicles. Natural gas and propane are cleaner burning than gasoline. Electric vehicles are becoming more popular but still have limited range due to battery capacity. Fuel cells that use hydrogen are also being developed but require safe and affordable hydrogen storage solutions.

1. Alternate Fuels for Vehicles
1

2. Overview
 Why Use Alternative Fuels?
 Available Alternative Fuel Vehicle Technologies
 Alternative Fuel Vehicles for Military
Applications
2

3. Alternative Fuel Vehicle
 An alternative fuel vehicle is a vehicle that runs on
a fuel other than "traditional" petroleum fuels; and
also refers to any technology of powering an engine
that does not involve solely petroleum (e.g. electric
car, hybrid electric vehicles, solar powered).
 A converted vehicle is one that was originally designed
to operate on gasoline or diesel and has been altered
to run on an alternative fuel.
 Altering vehicles to run on compressed natural gas
(CNG) or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are the two
most common types of alternative fuel vehicle
conversions.
3

4. Why Alternative Fuels?
 Cost of conventional fuels.
 In some cases, alternative fuels are more
environmentally friendly.
 Some alternative fuels are more energy
efficient.

5. Transportation Share of
Emissions
CO
79%
NOx
53%
VOCs
44%
CO2
33%
Particulates
25%
Lead
13%
SO2
7%
 Still a major contributor, despite
reductions in new vehicle emissions
achieved over the last decade

6. Alternative Fuels
 Alcohol Fuels –Ethanol and Methanol
 LPG
 Natural Gas (CNG)
 Biogas
 Biodiesel
 Hydrogen fuel cell
 Electricity
 Hybrid
 Solar powered
 Synthetic Fuels
6

7. Ethanol
 Ethanol is also known
as ethyl alcohol. It’s
the alcohol in beer,
wine, rum, vodka, etc.
 Ethanol was used to
fuel some of the first
automobiles.
7

8. Ethanol
 Alcohol-based alternative fuel produced by fermenting
and distilling starch crops or cellulose
 Most commonly used to increase octane and improve
the emissions quality of gasoline.
 Can be blended with gasoline to create E85, a blend
of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline.
 An excellent, clean-burning fuel, has a higher octane
rating (over 100) and burns cooler than gasoline.

9. Ethanol Vehicles
 Low GHGs  Subsidy Required
 Less Reactive to be Cost
Competitive
Ford Taurus Ford Ranger Chrysler Minivan
9

10. Ethanol-based Alternative Fuel: E85
 Gasoline with ethanol is still gasoline. It's not an alternative
fuel.
 An increasing number of new vehicles can use E85 (15%
gasoline, 85% ethanol), which is an alternative fuel.
10

11. Methanol
 Methanol, also known as wood alcohol, can be used
as an alternative fuel in flexible fuel vehicles that run
on M85
 The benefits include lower emissions, higher
performance, and lower risk of flammability than
gasoline
 Methanol can easily be made into hydrogen for
hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the future.
 Methanol is extremely corrosive, requiring special
materials for delivery and storage.

12. Propane (LPG)
12

13. Propane
 Propane or liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) is a
popular alternative fuel choice for vehicles because
there is already an infrastructure of pipelines, processing
facilities, and storage for its efficient distribution.
 LPG produces fewer vehicle emissions than gasoline.
 Propane is produced as a by-product of natural gas
processing and crude oil refining.
 The cost of a gasoline-litre equivalent of propane is
generally less than that of gasoline.

14. Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
 CNG is made by compressing natural gas
(which is mainly composed of methane, to
less than 1% of the volume it occupies at
standard atmospheric pressure.
 It is stored and distributed in hard
containers at a pressure of 200–248 bar
(2900–3600 psi), usually in cylindrical or
spherical shapes.
 Can be used in both SI and CI engines.
14

15. CNG Vehicles in India
15

16. CNG vs LPG
CNG LPG
 More economical  Higher Calorific Value
 Kit more expensive  Easily Available
 More wear and tear on  Wears out piston heads
engine with heavy loads
 Safer in case of leakage-  Stored at lower pressures
lighter than air  Non-corrosive and free of
 Does not contaminate tetra-ethyl lead or any
and dilute the crankcase additives
oil
16

17. Biogas
 Biogas is produced by anaerobic digestion or
fermentation of biodegradable materials such as
biomass, manure, sewage, municipal waste, green
waste, plant material and energy crops.
 This type of biogas comprises primarily methane and
carbon dioxide.
 Biogas can be compressed, much like natural gas, and
used to power motor vehicles.
 Biogas is completely odourless and the risk of fire or
explosion is less than for other fuels.
 Sweden, Denmark and Germany are the biggest users
of biogas for cars, buses and trains. 17

18. 18

19. Biodiesel
 Biodiesel is a domestically produced, renewable fuel
that can be manufactured from vegetable oils, animal
fats, or recycled restaurant greases.
 Biodiesel is safe, biodegradable, and reduces air
pollutants such as particulates, carbon monoxide,
hydrocarbons, and air toxics.
 Biodiesel can also be used in its pure form but it may
require certain engine modifications to avoid
maintenance and performance problems and may not
be suitable for wintertime use.
 Need to heat storage tanks in colder climates to
prevent the fuel from gelling

20. Electricity
 Vehicles that operate only on electricity require
no warm-up, run almost silently and have
excellent performance up to the limit of their
range.
 Pure electric cars still have limited range.
 Batteries have a limited storage capacity and
their electricity must be replenished by
plugging the vehicle into an electrical source.
 Electric Vehicles have lower "fuel" and
maintenance costs than gasoline-powered
vehicles.

21. Electric Vehicles
 Electricity is unique among the alternative fuels in that
mechanical power is derived directly from it, whereas
the other alternative fuels release stored chemical
energy through combustion to provide mechanical
power.
 Batteries commonly provide electricity used to power
vehicles, but fuel cells are also being explored.
Batteries are energy storage devices, but unlike
batteries, fuel cells convert chemical energy to
electricity.
 The maintenance costs for EVs is less-EVs have fewer
moving parts to service and replace.
21

22. Toyota Prius

23. Chevrolet Volt

24. Honda CR-Z

25. Toyota Tesla

26. Ford Focus-E

27. Audi E-tron

28. What is a Fuel Cell?
 A Fuel Cell is an electrochemical device that
combines hydrogen and oxygen to produce
electricity, with water and heat as its by-
product.
 It is a clean, quiet and highly efficient process-
two to three times more efficient than fuel
burning.
 It operates similarly to a battery, but it does not
run down nor does it require recharging.
 As long as fuel is supplied, a Fuel Cell will
produce both energy and heat.

29. How does a Fuel Cell work?

30. How can Fuel Cell technology be used?
 Individual fuel cells can be placed in
a series to form a fuel cell stack
 The stack can be used in a system
to power a vehicle.
 Automakers and experts speculate
that a fuel cell vehicle will be
commercialized soon.
 Fuel cell buses are currently in use
in North and South America,
Europe, Asia and Australia.
 Trains, planes, boats, scooters,
forklifts and even bicycles are
utilizing fuel cell technology as well.

31. Main challenge-hydrogen
 Fuel Cells require highly purified hydrogen as a fuel.
 Need to produce hydrogen economically from a variety of resources in
environmentally friendly ways.
 Developing safe, reliable, compact and cost-effective hydrogen storage is
one of the biggest challenges to widespread use of fuel cell technology.
 If the hydrogen is compressed and stored at room temperature under
moderate pressure, too large a fuel tank would be required.
 Liquid hydrogen could be kept in a smaller tank than gaseous hydrogen, but
liquefying hydrogen is complicated and not energy efficient.
 Liquid hydrogen is also extremely sensitive to heat and expands significantly
when warmed by even a few degrees, thus the tank insulation required
affects the weight and volume that can be stored.
 If the hydrogen is compressed and cryogenically frozen it will take up a very
small amount of space requiring a smaller tank, but it must be kept super-
cold (around -120 to -196 degrees Celsius).

32. Chevrolet Equinox

33. What is a Hybrid Car?
 A hybrid car is a vehicle that runs on not only gasoline
but a rechargeable battery.
 A petrol-electric hybrid car has both an electric motor
and a gasoline motor, it also consists of a rechargeable
battery for the electric engine.
 The fuel in the car is used to power the petrol engine
and the electric batteries supply power to the car’s
electric motors.
 Some of the new hybrids are now converting kinetic
energy into electric energy to power than batteries.

35. Features
 Saving of fuel
 When the car is stopped the kinetic energy
gained is stored in the battery and used later
 Less exhaust therefore environment friendly
 High cost
 Heavy because of heavy batteries used in
these cars
 Risky in accidents because of the high voltage
electric circuits

36. Solar Cars
 A solar car is an electric vehicle powered by solar
energy obtained from solar panels on the car.
 The solar array consists of hundreds of photovoltaic
solar cells converting sunlight into electricity.
 Photovoltaic (PV) cells convert the sun's energy
directly into electrical energy.
 Some solar cars use gallium arsenide solar cells, with
efficiencies around thirty percent. Other solar cars use
silicon solar cells, with efficiencies around twenty
percent.
36

37. Solar panels

39. 39

40. Multi-mode Cars
 French car company Venturi has made one of
the most publicized efforts with its unveiling of
the Eclectic model prototype at the 2006 Paris
Auto Show.
 The Eclectic combines solar, wind and battery
power to run a three-passenger car specifically
for city driving.
 Solar panels cover its roof, and a wind turbine
can also catch energy on windy days.
40

41. Venturi Eclectic
41

42. Military Applications
42

43. Issues - Fuels for Military Vehicles
 Strategic . Implies reduced reliance on foreign energy
resources.
 Operational. Requires developing efficient technologies that
can support combat capability needed for future operations
without increased fuel consumption or logistics and support
limitations.
 Fiscal. Efficient energy consumption. Inability to control
increased energy costs from fuel and supporting infrastructure
diverts resources.
 Environmental . Ability to conduct military operations and
activities in a manner that protects the environment while
supporting national security objectives and maintaining
operational readiness.
43

44. Shadow RST-V

45.  4x4 hybrid electric drive vehicle with integrated stealth and survivability
features.
 The diesel engine powers a 110kW permanent magnet generator that drives
four 50kW ors permanent magnetic hub motors, mounted one in each of
the Shadow's four wheel hubs.
 The power generation system also includes twin Li-Ion battery packs with
total rated output of 20kW hours and a peak power output of 80kW.
 In stealth mode the Shadow can be powered by battery only which provides
a significant reduction in acoustic and thermal signatures.
 During rapid acceleration or maximum torque for steep gradients or to
recharge the battery pack, operated in hybrid mode using power from the
diesel engine and taking energy from or returning it to the batteries as
needed.
 The elimination of the conventional mechanical drive train allows the vehicle
interior to have the same cubic storage as a HMMWV and still fit within the
V-22 envelope.
 Built-in redundancy in the motor design allows the Shadow's commander
the option to continue a maneuver or return to a place of safety on a single
wheel motor. 45

46. Hydrogen Fuel Cell Modification
 The U.S. Army is trying to use hydrogen fuel-cell technology on
the M1 Abrams battle tank
 Fuel cells can power a significant portion of the tank’s
computing equipment, battle command technologies, sensors
and other electronic equipment.
 The ultimate goal would be to figure out a way to power entire
fleets of military vehicles with fuel cells that use non-petroleum
sources.
46

47. 47

48. Synthetic Fuels
 Since only liquid fossil fuel can power the military's vehicles for the
foreseeable future, the US is focused on using bio-fuels such as ethanol and
biodiesel and synthetic fuels as potential replacements.
 The use of biodiesel in military ground combat vehicles is doubtful due to
questions over the long-term stability of the fuel, its tendency to gel in cold
weather, and other concerns.
 Synthetic fuel is generally designed to behave much like conventional fuel—
requiring little or no change in the equipment that uses it or the
infrastructure for storing and distributing it—which makes it highly desirable.
 Even as syn-fuels could reduce reliance on foreign sources of oil, they are
worse for the environment. Although syn-fuels burn cleaner, emit no SO2,
and pollute much less than conventional jet fuel, yet the full conversion
process from coal to liquid creates 1.8 times more carbon than simply
refining petroleum.
 The base cost of this fuel is up to 10 times that of conventional fuel.
48

49. Discussion
 Best Options for India
 Military Applications
49

50. Questions Please?
50