Social and political issues place pressure on people to reduce their dependency on foreign oil, including the need to use alternative power sources for cars, Manufacturers have realized this demand and are working to come up with models that run on alternative power sources. Hybrids have been a good intermediary step to help reduce the use of oil, but foregoing oil altogether is the only way to go completely green.
Biodiesel
Biodiesel has been on the market for some time nd many people have converted their engines to run on this more environmentally-friendly fuel. Made from vegetable oils, Alternative Fuel Source reports this fuel produces 40 percent to 80 percent fewer greenhouse emissions than conventional fuels. It's also nontoxic and biodegradable, unlike its gasoline counterpart. The con to biodiesel is the agricultural demand to make it, resulting in an inflation of agricultural products.
Electricity
The biggest issue with creating an electric vehicle is their ability to travel long distances, and the time required to charge the batteries once they were drained. Technology advancements in making batteries have made a big dent in these issues, and manufacturers are looking at this option once again. According to Hybrid Cars, BMW is looking to launch a small electric car in 2012 and Ford is looking to make an electric version of its Focus, which reportedly can go 100 miles before needing to be recharged. The benefits of electric cars are no emissions and you can refuel at home.
Hydrogen
Honda released the first assembly line hydrogen powered car in 2009 to a small test market in California. Hydrogen is the most abundant resource available in the universe, making it a very viable alternative power source. It also produces perfectly clean emissions, making it environmentally friendly. Hydrogen fuel cells however are expensive to make. In 2010, Toyota announced a 90 percent reduction in fuel cell costs, enabling the company to make a hydrogen model at a starting price of $50,000.
Ethanol
Ethanol, like biodiesel, is made from crops. By fermenting and distilling starch crops such as corn, the alcohol-based fuel is created. Ethanol produces 50 percent fewer pollutants into the air than gasoline, and it's fairly inexpensive to convert your vehicle to run off ethanol. The issue is it will give you fewer miles per gallon and can cost more than gasoline.
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