http://www.utahpeoplespost.com/2014/07/chinese-officials-are-bound-to-use-electric-cars/

Driving a car each day is a necessity for many people in the United States. Although the gasoline powered engine has had over a century to become what it is today, alternative energy powered vehicles are being explored to improve some of its drawbacks (1). Two of the more well known alternative energy sources are natural gas (2) and electricity (3). Despite the fact that gasoline engines are capable of driving the longest distance non-stop (1), they are large contributors to air pollution and the petroleum that gasoline requires comes from places deemed “unstable”, such as countries that may be hostile to us (1). It is for these reasons that alternative energies are being experimented with in order to power vehicles.

Using electricity or natural gas as an alternative energy source definitely has its advantages. First of all, both engines that would use these types of energy have lower greenhouse gas emissions than the standard gasoline engine (2,3). Not only do they help the environment, but alternative energy options can help the individual financially as well.  Natural gas and electricity are both cheaper than gasoline (2,3), natural gas engines do not need oil changes as frequently (2), and electric engines do not require them at all (3). Specific advantages to natural gas engines include that the gas dissipates in an accident, meaning that there is no flammable liquid fuel that could make the scenario even more dangerous; and that eighty to ninety percent of natural gas comes from domestic sources, so our nation would not have to rely as heavily on others for fuel (2). In the case of electric vehicles, they are very quick, quiet, and smooth, making some regular cars seem to be outdated (3). In addition, charging an electric car can be done at home, all the owner has to do is plug it in (3)!

Although engines that run on natural gas or electricity do seem to be more advantageous than gasoline powered engines, they are not without drawbacks. Both types of alternative energy cars have limited options in the models available, are generally more expensive when purchasing the vehicle itself, and, as discussed before, have a more limited driving range than cars that run on gasoline (1,2,3). Natural gas cars have limited fueling stations, and the gas itself is still a nonrenewable fossil fuel (2). Electric cars have a very long charging time, so if you forget to plug in your car at night, you could be out of luck the next morning (3).

Despite these trade-offs for using alternative energy powered cars, the environmental effects of gasoline engines and the fact that gasoline is nonrenewable are strong enough driving forces for the necessity of alternative energy options. Fortunately, additional possibilities such as compressed air, vegetable oil, hydrogen fuel cells, ethanol, water, and biomass are all being looked into as future energies sources (4). It is only a matter of time until the best substitute for gasoline is discovered and implemented into our daily lives.

http://www.zmescience.com/ecology/green-living/green-cars-low-emission-vehicles-0341323/

Sources:

1. http://www.torquenews.com/1079/pros-and-cons-gasoline-cars
2. http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2012/12/18/pros-and-cons-natural-gas-vehicles/
3. http://www.plugincars.com/electric-cars-pros-and-cons-128637.html
4. http://webecoist.momtastic.com/2009/01/31/7-alternative-fuels-and-alternative-fuel-powered-vehicles/