Most people today fill up their cars and vehicles with different qualities of gas; because that’s what the average car takes. They don’t usually consider an alternative for the gas that they load into their cars. Although gas is widely used, it is not the only source for a car to get its power from; diesel and electricity are alternatives for the general gas used by most cars. Different from each other, diesel and electricity are alternatives to the average gasoline received at a gas station. Diesel is a more concentrated type of fuel that is usually used by big automobiles because they require a lot of power in various amounts of time. Electricity is a method that uses the power of batteries to produce low horsepower in most electrical cars. The purpose of this essay is to classify the different types of fuel available for an automobile such as gas, diesel, and electricity.
The general petrol, more commonly known as gasoline, is the most available source of power for cars today. This is because gas is generally cheap and always available. Gasoline is defined as transparent, petroleum derived oil that is used primarily as a fuel in engines. It also consists of organic compounds which are obtained by the distillation of petroleum. Most automobiles rely on this type of gasoline today. Gas stations in the U.S.A use numbers to represent the quality of gasoline 87 being the lowest while 93 are the highest. Even with problems in the Middle East which is increasing the gas price regularly, the U.S. maintains its ranking as one of the cheapest places to get petrol, or gasoline. Although gas is cheap, it is demanded of every person to have an automobile and since automobiles rely on gas, the gasoline distributors have the advantage that the public is willing to pay high prices for gas, if it’s the cheapest around.
Diesel is a type of fuel that is similar to gas. In the car engine, there are valves that help compress gasoline. When gasoline is compressed in a valve, the fuel injector lights the fuel so that the heat is anticipated and can be easily controlled. However, when diesel is being used, the fuel injector is not as necessary because the fuel comes pre-charged. This is why diesel powered automobiles are more powerful: they can output a lot more power due to the less time it takes to compress it in an engine. Gas is flammable and, in some cases explodes but, diesel is more sensitive than gasoline, since it is more compressed. Since diesel is more flammable than gasoline, it means that any little disturbance could ignite the fuel and cause severe problems to the driver or the car. If ignited, the diesel fuel tank probably will explode, due to the different conditions it’s surrounded in. Diesel also pollutes the air with carbon dioxide far more than gasoline and, therefore would speed up Global Warming. Almost the opposite of diesel, electricity can be a valuable source of energy when it comes to cars.
Electricity is probably the least thought of power source for a car, because not many are seen on the streets in the U.S.A or places like Bermuda. Even though electricity has its downsides, it’s quite environmental and soundless. Electricity is a unique fuel type for the car because it is not a liquid and, it is rechargeable. One great reason to switch to electricity as a power source for one’s car is because electricity is far more available and easily accessible. Electricity also reduces our dependence on gas. Usually, electricity is found to be more energy-efficient than a gasoline fuel and, doesn’t release toxic exhaust fumes, generally almost zero exhaust fumes at all. More and more cars are being made with the use of electricity. My personal opinion is that electricity should be our main source of energy for a car because, it’s noiseless, environment friendly, and never needs to be replaced, only recharged.
Although gasoline is more widely known, it is not always the best type of power source for a car. Diesel and electricity can also be used as alternatives but, each one has their drawbacks. Diesel is not as safe as gasoline and gasoline is quite flammable. Electricity takes too long to charge and lasts only a little while. If the battery power is increased, then the electric car will be more widespread and probably used more in society. Gasoline might be cheaper and a little less quality than diesel but, it is more readily available and safe. Gasoline might not be as environment friendly as electricity but, it can last a much longer time. Because of these reasons, gasoline is the main power source for cars today but, is not the only one. Different automobiles depend on different fuels, as they require different levels of energy. Henry Ford once said “Wealth, like happiness, is never attained when sought after directly. It comes as a by-product of providing a useful service”.
