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What fuels are
available?
As pointed out above
there is a potential market for Eco Vehicles. Most IC (internal combustion)
light and heavy vehicles can use alternative fuels with no or little
modifications. Petrol can be substituted by methane in biogas and natural gas,
CNG, or propane, ethanol, methanol or blends of alcohol and petrol or diesel.
Ongoing tests in Sweden with a blend of CNG and hydrogen show positive results for
emissions as well as for the combustion and motor.
Diesel can be
substituted by oilseed rape, RME or by synthetic fuels like DME, dimethylether. Bio-fuels are positive from the global
climate aspect. Biogas is an extremely environmentally friendly fuel, rather
easily produced on small as well as large scale. Emissions from methane fuelled
vehicles are low. Emissions from RME vehicles are comparable to diesel vehicles
but perform better from the climate point of view. Ethanol, methanol or alcohol+petrol/diesel give low emissions. Tests in Denmark have shown that diesel blended with 10 % ethanol reduce
particle emission by 17 %. Particle filters reduce emission from diesel engines
drastically and make the diesel car environmentally competitive.
Electric hybrid
vehicles have rather low emissions due to a lower consumption of fuel. Battery
vehicles have zero emission, at least where they are used. The electricity
production results in emissions but these can be proportionally lower than
those in IC engines.
The future and final
solution has - for a long time – been identified in the fuel cell vehicles.
They can be driven by different fuels like methanol, CNG or hydrogen and have
practically zero emissions.
Which vehicles does
the market offer?
The
European car manufacturers offer models of light vehicles as bi-fuel (natural
gas or biogas with petrol as spare fuel) or a conversion packet for gas only.
Flexible fuel vehicles, FFV, for mixtures of fuels (for instance petrol and
alcohol) are available. Cars with diesel engines can usually be fuelled by RME
or blends of diesel and RME or alcohol. Japanese manufacturers offer a few
electric hybrid models. Battery
vehicles seem to disappear gradually. Heavy vehicles, buses and trucks are
commercially available in natural gas versions from a few manufacturers.
Fuel cell vehicles are
not available on a really commercial basis yet. There are some ongoing more or
less prototype projects with fuel cell buses in 9 European cities (see the EU
CUTE project).
There are different
types of light electric vehicles with two or three wheels that can be used for
delivery of light goods and personal transport, particularly competitive in
city centres.
What to choose?
The choice of vehicle
depends on the existing fuel infrastructure. Natural gas is available in many
places. Sometimes also filling stations. Biogas may
require the establishment of a production unit. RME can be stored in any normal
filling station. Alcohol requires separate production units. Storage and
filling can take place in ordinary filling stations.
Who else, besides
the local government administration, belongs to the target groups?
Companies, taxi and courier
companies, industry associations, companies with environmental certification,
car sales staff, dealers and leasing companies, fuel suppliers, environmental
consultants and municipal suppliers. |