It's not rocket science. With the rising costs of gasoline, along with the negative impact it has on our environment, it has become clear. The time of fossil fuels is over. We need to change and we need to do it quickly. While the large car companies are addressing this from a technology standpoint (hybrid cars, fuel cells), not everyone can afford to junk thier vehicle in favor of a new technology. We need something that we can use to bridge that gap!
Think about it. Let's look at the hybrid cars. These things run off of gasoline and electicity, and can effectively increase your gas mileage. While this is well and good, is it a permanent solution? No. Not even close. We need to get off of our reliance on gasoline and move to something that is not only affordable, but better for the environment we live in.
But on that same token, what if we invent something tomorrow? Lets say we come up with a technology that runs our cars on household tap water (hydrogen engines, anyone?). All of the auto manufacturers hop on board, and begin building these vehicles. Do you know how any cars are on the road in the United States itself? According to stats I found on faqfarm.com, there are approximately 143-144 million cars in the US alone!
That's an issue, for more than one reason. First, let's look at supply and demand. Lets say, for arguments sake, that we have 100 million drivers in the USA. How long would it take the auto industry to put out cars for each and every one of us? 100 Million? Can you say YEARS?!?
Second, and more important, how many people can AFFORD to go buy one of these new cars? Not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to afford a new car payment. Many people own cars that have been through 4-5 owners before getting to them.
No, we cant just leap to a new technology, we need a stop-gap. And hybrid cars are not it. Yes, they are a step in the right direction, but we need a leap. So what are our options?
Ethanol has been around for quite a while now. I recently found out that back in the day, Ford himself believed in using corn as a source for fuel, but that never worked out. Cars built since the 1980s have the ability to run on E10, which is 10 percent ethanol and 90 percent gasoline. While this is well and good, it still keeps up relying on gasoline for time indefinite.
So what do we do?
Lets take a look at the internal combustion engine. At its bare essentials, it has chambers that fuel is squirted into, then this fuel is ignited and it expands, pushing the pistons out of the chambers. Thats it, at a bare minimum. Dont get me wrong, theres alot more that goes on behind the scenes, but the bare essences is gasoline being ignited by spark plugs (or another ignition source), and expanding.
Its times like this that I wish I were a chemist. It seems to me, that there HAS to be another fluid (natural or artificial) that expands similarly to gasoline when it is ignited. Maybe we should spend some money in research in finding or creating what I call a gas-substitute. I mean, wouldnt it be great to start filling your same car with a new kind of fuel that basically uses your existing engine? Yeah, chances are we may need to change the ignition system, but compare the price of a new kind of spark plug versus the cost of purchasing a whole new car.
Even if this did come to fruition, should we still work on finding alternative energy cars? YES! Definitely! This idea is merely intended as a plausable stopgap until a new wave of alternative energy and environmentally safe vehicles can find a home in every garage.
Can it be done? I dont know for sure, but I sure hope so. I'd hate to see companies spending billions of dollars on new technologies that the majority of the people in the world wouldnt be able to benefit from for years. At least in this way, we'd be able to begin taking steps in the right direction.
About The Author
Copyright 2006 – Rich Smith is the owner of Jamsoft Development, the company that brings you Part-finder. He is a dreamer, a writer, and every now and then actually comes up with a good idea or two. If you'd like to reach him, use the CONTACT US form at www.jamsoft.biz.
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