If petroleum diesel is so harmful, what types of alternative fuels are available instead?
A. Liquefied and compressed natural gas (LNG & CNG), liquefied petroleum gas (LPG or propane), battery-electric, synthetic diesel derived from natural gas (Fischer-Tropsch diesel), and biodiesel made from plant oils, animal fat, and used grease. Other alternative fuels such as hydrogen and fuel cells are still under development and are expected to be available within the next ten to twenty years. Natural gas is currently the best, most-developed alternative to petroleum. It is available in combination with diesel and, better yet, in combination with battery electric power. There is a stable and plentiful supply of natural gas, most of which comes from North America. However, natural gas, just like petroleum and coal, is a non-renewable fossil fuel, so it also contributes to global warming and will some day be used up unless we use multiple alternative fuel sources.
Related Questions
- How can a gasoline or diesel vehicle be called a "clean fuel vehicle," aren these fuels less clean than alternative fuels?
- Why are diesel fuel prices demonstrably higher than more refined types of petroleum fuels?
- If petroleum diesel is so harmful, what types of alternative fuels are available instead?
