Apr 30, 2009

Fuel of the Future

Results from a survey done by the EcoCAR: The Next Challenge collegiate competition shows the American public is nearly unanimous on scientific innovation being essential for the economic and social welfare of a nation. The results lend increased credibility to the goal of the EcoCAR competition, which aims to spur innovation around advanced technologies that will transform the automobile industry. But the survey also shows that public opinion is very mixed regarding which energy resources will most likely power automobiles in the future. Electricity, ethanol, hydrogen, solar power and reformulated gasoline were some of the top options, but it is clear that consumers are unsure of the “fuel of the future.”

The survey revealed that a majority of Americans believe most cars will rely on electricity (55 percent), although they didn’t specify where that electricity would come from. (The majority of electricity in the U.S. is now generated by coal-, oil- and natural gas-powered plants.) The respondents to the survey also gave high marks to the ethanol-gasoline mix E85. More than four out of ten believe E85 will be a top fuel source (45 percent), followed by hydrogen (37 percent) and solar power (34 percent). Reformulated gasoline (29 percent), biodiesel (27 percent), natural gas (20 percent) and wind (5 percent) also garnered numbers high enough to be worthy of attention.

EcoCAR’s student competitors are also placing their bets on various technologies and energy sources as they develop innovative solutions to the issues facing today's automakers, policymakers and the public. In the competition, university engineering students across North America are re-engineering a Saturn Vue to reduce its environmental impact further by minimizing the vehicle’s fuel consumption, petroleum use and emissions while maintaining its utility, safety and performance. The teams are pursuing various advanced propulsion system solutions, including those used in extended-range, plug-in hybrid, full-function, and fuel cell plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.