Alternatives to Traditional Transportation Fuels

Alternative Fuel (as defined by the EPACT): methanol, denatured ethanol, and other alcohols, separately or in mixtures of 85 percent by volume or more, or other percentage not less than 70 as determined by DOE rule, with gasoline or other fuels, CNG, LNG, LPG, hydrogen, coal-derived liquid fuels, fuels other than alcohols derived from biological materials, electricity, or any other fuel determined to be substantially not petroleum and yielding substantial energy security benefits and substantial environmental benefits.

Alternative-Fuel Vehicle (AFV): A vehicle either designed and manufactured by an original equipment manufacturer or a converted vehicle designed to operate in either dual-fuel, flexible-fuel, or dedicated modes on fuels other than gasoline or diesel. This does not include a conventional vehicle that is limited to operation on blended or reformulated gasoline fuels.

 EV1 manufactured by GM             UCF Student conversion project

Alternative fuels, as defined by the Clean Air Act, are:

Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG)
Propane
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG)
Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG)
Methanol, 85 percent (M85)
Methanol, neat (M100)
Ethanol, 85 percent (E85)
Ethanol, 95 percent (E95)
Biodiesel
Electricity

Liquefied Petroleum Gases (LPG): Propane, propylene, normal butean, butylene, isobutane, and isobutylene produced at refineries or natural gas processing plants (includes plants that fractionate raw natural gas plant liquids).

Propane: A normally gaseous straight-chain hydrocarbon, it is a colorless paraffinic gas that boils at a temperature of -43.67 degrees Fahrenheit. It is extracted from natural gas or refinery gas streams.

Compressed Natural Gas (CNG): Natural gas compressed to a volume and density that is practical as a portable fuel supply (even when compressed, natural gas is not a liquid).

Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG): Natural gas that has been refrigerated to temperatures at which it exists in a liquid state.

Methanol: A colorless liquid with essentially no odor and very little taste. The simplest alcohol, it boils at 64.7 degrees Celsius. It is mixable with water and most organic liquids (including gasoline) and is extremely flammable, burning with a nearly invisible blue flame. Methanol is produced commercially by the catalyzed reaction of hydrogen and carbon monoxide. It was formerly derived from the destructive distillation of wood, which caused it to be known as wood alcohol.

M85: A fuel containing a mixture of 85 percent methanol and 15 percent gasoline.

M100: 100 percent (neat) Methanol.

Ethanol: Otherwise known as ethyl alcohol, alcohol, or grain-spirit. A clear, colorless, flammable oxygenated hydrocarbon with a boiling point of 78.t degrees Celsius in the anhydrous state. However, it forms a binary azeotrope with water, with a boiling point of 78.15 degrees Celsius at a composition of 95.57 percent by weight ethanol. It is used in the United States as a gasoline octane enhanced and oxygenate (10 percent concentration). Ethanol can also be used in high concentration in vehicles optimized for its use.

E85: A fuel containing a mixture of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

E95: A fuel containing a mixture of 95 percent ethanol and 5 percent gasoline.

Biodiesel: any liquid biofuel suitable as a diesel fuel substitute or diesel fuel additive or extender. A diesel substitute made from transesterification of oils of vegetables such as soybeans, rapeseed, or sunflowers (end product known as methyl ester) or from animal tallow (end product known as methyl tallowate). Biodiesel can also be made by transesterification of hydrocarbons produced by the Fisher-Tropsch process from agricultural by products such as rice hulls.

Electricity: Energy arising from electric charge interaction. Electricity is usually provided by batteries, but can be provided by generators, fuel cells or electrical conductors. Voltages range from 48 to 480 volts, both AC and DC.