The Future of Automotive Engines

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The Future of Automotive Engines

In the future the automotive industries will need alternative fuel sources, in turn that means they will need alternative engines in their automobiles. The engines found in their cars will have to be changed to fit the new fuels being made. They have many directions in which they can go concerning engine types and fuel types.

One type of engine is a called a fuel cell. A fuel cell operates like a battery. Unlike a battery, a fuel cell does not run down or require recharging. It will produce energy in the form of electricity and heat as long as fuel is supplied. A fuel cell consists of two electrodes sandwiched around and electrolyte. Oxygen passes over one electrode and hydrogen over the other, generating electricity, water and heat. Hydrogen fuel is used to make all this work. Fuel cell emissions are nothing but water vapor.

Fuel cells have reached a market of around $3 billion worldwide in the year 2000. A mere one percent of global vehicle market, 450,000 vehicles, would mean another $2 billion more. Another recent study projected global demand for transportation fuel cells in the year 2007 at $9 billion.

U.S. energy dependence is higher today than it was during the oil shock of the 1970's, and oil imports are projected to increase. Passenger vehicles alone consume 6 million barrels of oil every single day. If just 20 percent of cars used full cells, we could cut oil imports by 1.5 million barrels every day. 10,000 fuel cell vehicles running on non-petroleum fuel would reduce oil consumption by 6.98 million gallons a year.

The U.S. Department of Energy projects that if a mere 10% of automobiles nationwide were powered by fuel cells, regulated air pllutants would be cut by one million tons a year and 60 million tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide would be eliminated. DOE projects that the same number of fuel cell cars would cut oil imports by 800,000 barrels a day which is about 13 percent of total imports.

Fuel cells could create new markets for steel, electronics, electrical and control industries and other equipment suppliers. They could provide tens of thousands of high-quality jobs and reduce trade deficits.

Another engine type is the hybrid engine. The hybrid involves both the use of a gasoline engine and an electrical engine.

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