Future Fuels for Automobiles
Switchgrass: Image Credit: USDA
I'm not that much of an automobile enthusiast. Despite my proximity to the Motor City, I don't pay constant attention to the latest twitches in the auto industry. I take the bus to work, and drive a car only occasionally, usually for errands or to shuttle the kids someplace. But I attended the GM ChallengeX event on behalf of EcoGeek.org and Green Options, and I learned a number of things about where automotive technology is trying to go, and came away excited about new things coming along in the automotive industry.
In addition to the work being done in the ChallengeX competition, GM itself is forging ahead in a number of areas with plans for a wide range of fuel options. Dr. Gary Smyth, one of the GM engineers I had the opportunity to meet over dinner, spoke at length about the fuel mix for automobiles in the future. With increasing demand for vehicles, the issue is not whether, say, switchgrass ethanol or bio-diesel is going to be the magic bullet that addresses the future demand for fuel. Rather, it is going to be a mix of a number of different fuels, all of which are being widely used, that is going to be necessary to keep up with demand, both domestically and internationally. "Displacing petroleum" was the phrase that I heard a number of times throughout the day. GM has evidently seen the writing on the wall and is taking steps to address it.
The configuration of some of GM's cars coming out in the next few years is such that the fuel source does not have to drive the development of the vehicle. With the proposed Chevy Volt, for example, the vehicle is driven by its electric motors and its batteries. Whatever internal combustion engine or fuel cell or something else is under the hood is just to run an electrical generator. The vehicle can get its fuel from whatever source the consumers prefer, and in some cases, as with the current Flex-Fuel vehicles in GM's fleet, it may be possible to use more than one kind of fuel.
GM has set itself on course to use lithium-ion batteries for its forthcoming electric vehicles such as the Chevy Volt. One of the issues with lithium-ion batteries is that they can overheat. There have already been multiple incidents and recalls of laptop computer batteries due to fire hazards from these batteries. The increased energy density means that they are able to provide more useful charge with less weight. But that same energy density also means that the batteries can be more prone to damage from overheating.
One thing that was suggested was for the Volt (and other cars with these batteries) is to have a small solar panel on the car that would provide enough power to operate a circulating fan that could help keep the battery array cooler. This is just one of the many issues that needs to be dealt with and overcome in order to bring the Volt to market. And it is small details such as this that will be the success or failure of the Volt.
I'm much more of an automotive enthusiast than I was a couple of months ago. And I will probably be paying a bit more attention to some of the things going on in the auto industry.
For some other perspectives on the meetings that GM personnel had with several bloggers at the event, see these articles, as well:
Autoblog Green
Podtech.net
GM-volt.com (and also here)
Groovy Green
I believe that cars in future will be electrical and internal combustion powered vehicles will be relegated to third world countries. Because of our densely populated cities and our failure to reach zero population growth, electrically powered vehicles will be the only way to allow individuals to own a personal conveyance. Americans may support mass transit. But, they won’t give up their cars and there is no other practical means to prevent pollution. Electricity can be made cleanly.
Sure, fuel cells could be used in some situations like trucks and trains. But there are losses involved with conversion and hydrocarbon supplies are not limitless. Hydrogen may be OK for fleets and delivery vehicles. But, how can it be safely and efficiently distributed across the country for individual use and how much energy will be lost to make it? Plus, we would need a whole new fuel infrastructure. We already have a system to distribute electricity.
The Lithium-Ion battery is one possibility for energy storage in electrical vehicles. But, it’s not the only one. There are other technologies in the works such as capacitors and even flywheel devices. Your car may even be powered by compressed air.(from electrically powered compressors) Hydrocarbons and internal combustion engines will never be clean enough to avoid becoming relics of the past just like coal fired steam engines.
We are just beginning to learn how to live as part of the environment without destroying it. We still have a long ways to go.
Internal combustion fuels (be they biodiesel or ethanol in some form or dinosaur juice or something else) are a demonstrably workable way to move around. More to the point, there's existing infrastructure and businesses connected to it, so I don't think that all IC is going to go away for a long time.
Capacitors are not really a storage device. That was another topic of conversation at dinner, and Dr. Smyth (who knows this stuff backwards and forwards) said that capacitors have their place in power systems, but they aren't a suitable substitute for batteries.
Electrical power needs to become an increasing part of the mix, and in the long term, it may come to replace all IC, but there's a lot to get through before we are to that point.