Public Servant Lifestyle

The wide variety of alternative fuels available mean that individuals can take a pro-active role in protecting the environment.

What the average consumer may not be aware of is the development of cleaner fuel propulsion systems over the last 10 years, manufacturers of cars have realised the potential market demand in this area, and have therefore latched onto the green concept with great enthusiasm.

Day dreams of the perfect environmentally-friendly vehicle have tended to conjure up visions of pedal powered cars or solar powered boxes on wheels. The history of environmentally-friendly vehicles has been littered by disastrous monstrosities, which often would never survive in on the market.

Green Perspective

Taking a green perspective of life is very admirable, but need not mean handing your car over to the scrap yard and getting on your pushbike. What the average consumer may not be aware of is the development of cleaner fuel propulsion systems over the last 10 years, manufacturers of cars have realised the potential market demand in this area, and have therefore latched onto the green concept with great enthusiasm. It seems that little design styles or efficiency of vehicles have been lost in the manufacturing process, and greater emphasis has been attributed to the actual fuel supply.

Unleaded Petrol

For any individual who wants to take an active role in preserving the environment, the first step could involve switching to environmentally friendly fuel. Switching to unleaded petrol can help in reducing pollutants, unburned hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. Achieving this would mean catalytic convectors have to be adopted, which cannot withstand even small amounts of residual lead. The major reason to switch to unleaded fuel is cutting down on car emissions. Due to such measures being implicated, modern car pollution has been cut down dramatically.

Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG)

Liquefied Petroleum Gas is a relatively new concept in the fuel supply of motor vehicles. This form of propulsion for vehicles is generally a mixture of propane and butane gas, and is obtained as a by-product from crude oil. When stored under pressure it becomes a liquid and can be pumped into a car tank. It provides an attractive alternative to standard petrol as it has a higher octane rating than most general fuels.

It also burns with little residue and air pollution, and is cleaner as it contains no lead. There is also little discharge of carbon monoxide, providing reduced amounts of harmful fumes from exhausts. Driving such vehicles would mean little loss in engine performance, and getting the car started on a cold winter's morning would never be a problem again.

To actually convert to LPG doesn't mean you need a brand new vehicle; most four-stroke ignition engines can be altered to this form of propulsion. The amount of suppliers for this type of fuel is also increasing greatly; about over 300 outlets at the moment in the UK.

Electrically Operated Vehicles

Battery operated cars are already in production within the UK, and can be purchased at specific dealer outlets. Generally, there is a gas-powered generator that supplements the electrically powered motor. The overall driving performance can be slightly restricted, with a minor loss of the speed in the vehicle.

The silent running of the engine is particularly surprising and offers great relief to any driver. Less engine noise also means you can wind your windows down and crank your music volume up to even higher levels, offering a greater clarity of sound to the general public!

The fact that batteries are used in powering the vehicle does, however, mean that they will at sometime need replacing due to their restricted lifespan. They could additionally take a long time to fully recharge, and provide particularly unreliable on long journeys. Due to some of these limitations in such cars, electrically operated vehicles could fall short in a lot of consumer expectations.

The most prominent and successful example of a fully road worthy electric car has been a reality for almost a decade, with the advent of the General Motors (GM) EV1. Unfortunately this saloon car - the subject of Chris Paine's 2005 documentary Who Killed The Electric Car? - has been withdrawn from use by General Motors, who semingly have no plans to make it available again in the near future.

Solar Powered Vehicles

Sunlight is an excellent energy source, and has the potential to transform the car industry. Solar powered cars would get all their energy from the sun using hundreds of photovoltaic cells to convert sunlight into electricity. Each cell could produce about one and half volts of electricity, which a small majority of energy would be kept in reserve. This would allow the car to function regardless of variations in sunlight, particularly in cloudy weather. The most beneficial part of using solar power is that it's efficient and economical, pollution free and inexhaustible.

This type of transport could provide to be very unpopular in places that have small amounts of good weather, extensive periods of rain or cloud, and generally miserable conditions. A prime example of bad marketing would be in Britain.

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