Download How are Cars Powered?

How are Cars
Powered?
How do we get from the gas pump
to driving down the highway…
Gasoline &
Internal Combustion Engines
Put high
energy
fuel in a
small
area and
ignite it.
http://www.britannica.com/eb/art-89315/An-internal-combustion-engine-goesthrough-four-strokes-intake-compression
Hybrids…
Gasoline & Electric
Example of MPH vs MPG in a
hybrid
Hybrids
“Flash Animation: How Hybrids Work” link:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybridtech
.shtml
 Without animation:
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/hybridAni
mation/hybrid/hybridstarting.html
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http://auto.howstuffworks.com/biodiesel.htm
BioDiesel
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Biodiesel is usually made from plant oils
or animal fat through a series of chemical
reactions. It is both non-toxic and
renewable. Because biodiesel essentially
comes from plants and animals, the
sources can be replenished through
farming and recycling.
Biodiesel is safe and can be used in
diesel engines with little or no
modification needed. Although biodiesel
can be used in its pure form, it is usually
blended with standard diesel fuel. Blends
are indicated by the abbreviation Bxx,
where xx is the percentage of biodiesel
in the mixture. For example, the most
common blend is B20, or 20 percent
biodiesel to 80 percent standard. So,
B100 refers to pure biodiesel.
E85
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The number of models that can
run on the E85 ethanol is at an all
time high. Choices include cars,
minivans, SUVs, and pickup
trucks. General Motors leads the
industry in E85 ethanol-capable
vehicles, with more than a dozen
models for 2007. Chrysler,
Dodge, Jeep and Ford also field
a selection, with Mercedes-Benz
and Nissan represented as well.
It's this flexibility that gives them
the nickname, flex-fuel vehicles.
E85 ethanol fuel costs about the
same per gallon as conventional
87-octane gasoline.

E85 is shorthand for a blend of
combustible motor-vehicle fuel
that's 85 percent ethanol and 15
percent conventional unleaded
gasoline. Ethanol is derived from
plant material, corn mostly.
Because its raw materials come
mostly from U.S. farms and are
distilled in U.S. refineries, ethanol
is touted as a renewable energy
source that has the potential to
reduce America's dependence on
foreign oil.
Electric Cars
Electric Vehicles

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/evtech.sht
ml
Fuel Cell Vehicles

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/fuelcell.shtml
Hydrogen Powered

It's sleek. It's
aerodynamic. It's
environmentally friendly.
BMW's H2R (Hydrogen
Record Car) is powered
entirely by the cleanburning process of liquidhydrogen combustion,
and this next-generation
racecar has already set
speed records in its class.
How does H2 power a car?
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A Hydrogen-Fueled Car
The use of hydrogen as a fuel in motor vehicles offers several advantages
over traditional fossil fuels:
There exists an unlimited supply of hydrogen -- hydrogen is the most
abundant element in the universe and the tenth most abundant element on
Earth.
Hydrogen is renewable -- When hydrogen reacts with oxygen, the byproduct is water (H2O), which can then be hydrolyzed (broken up into its
component parts) to yield more hydrogen.
Hydrogen is clean-burning -- Unlike the burning of fossil fuels, hydrogen
combustion does not produce any destructive environmental pollutants.
Hydrogen weighs less and generates more power than hydrocarbon-based
fuels.
Hydrogen burns faster (and at a lower temperature) than conventional
gasoline.
http://auto.howstuffworks.com/bmw-h2r1.htm