The Uncertain Future Of Cars

Since petrol prices reached an all time high, the media and the government have taken it upon themselves to give hints and tips on how to save money during the recession by advising people to drive less, get a small car rather than a Chelsea tractor, or use public transport.

But realistically, this is not going to happen until decent, reliable public transport that goes where you want, when you want, is available. It is also unlikely that people will drive less because they want, like, and even need, to drive based on any number of factors. Based on my personal experience, living nowhere near a town and with only one bus a day, I need a car to do everything. People are now also choosing their cars to beat the taxes now being enforced. A car that emits less CO2 gets taxed less than one that produces more, and therefore is cheaper to run. As a result of this it lands on the car companies to do something, in order to become more profitable.

It is now almost a competition to get the highest MPG (miles per gallon) from a larger engine. For a normal engine, cars average around 40MPG, but some can reach 130MPG. As an aside, the world record for the highest MPG was recently broken when a team reached an incredible 12,666MPG!

But there is only so much you can get from a petrol or diesel engine, which explains the recent world record - the engine used ran on hydrogen, and wasn’t a road car. Therefore alternative fuels are being increasingly used.

Each car manufacturer has its own vision for the future of cars, be it hybrid, bio-diesel, hydrogen, bio-ethanol, electric or even water.

Bio-ethanol is a relatively new fuel, comprising of 85% ethanol alcohol and 15% petrol. It gives excellent results from the engine, with some sports cars using it already. The Lotus Exige 265E is able to run on anything from 100% petrol to the 15% petrol Bio-ethanol and still have the same amazing performance.

Several other major breakthroughs have recently happened regarding alternate fuels, including the new Honda FCX, which has an electric motor that throws out no emissions, except water.
And finally the Genepax, a car that runs on nothing but Water, "river rain or sea… even tea works"! Just one litre of water will keep the car running at 80kmh (just under 50mph) for more than one hour.

So, the possibilities are endless, it seems. I just wonder, when will a car be designed that runs on nothing but oxygen?

Further Reading:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/2312521.stm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bloom/actions/cookingoil.shtml

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/oct/09/martinwainwright

http://world.honda.com/FuelCell/

http://www.bbc.co.uk/topgear/show/episodes/series10episode9.shtml

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dpf3C2EReVo

http://www.csmonitor.com/2006/0801/csmimg/p12b_popup.gif