Disadvantages of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

The truth about the manufacture and operation of alternative fuel vehicles is, as with everything else in life, a mixed bag of benefits and costs. At this point in alternative fuel vehicle development and deployment, none seem to be as pure a choice as the advertising and hype may convey.

Not a Simple Choice

Advocates of alternative fuel vehicles can articulate a bevy of reasons to purchase alternative fuel vehicles or to convert your car or business fleet to alternative fuels. What is more rarely discussed are the consumer sacrifices and more importantly the environmental trade-offs made when manufacturing alternative fuel vehicles. The cost of purchase and operation of these cars is a key issue. If you put the cost issue aside, and pursue the switch as an ethical choice, there is the environmental impact of manufacturing the cars and disposing of key parts, a process which may not ever actually be offset by the vehicles' lower emissions.

Key Issues

There are five main categories of alternative fuels in various stages of experimental or developed use today. They include biodiesel, ethanol, propane, natural gas, electricity and hydrogen. Availability and affordability of alternative fuel cars are a basic concern because at present mass produced alternative fuel or hybrid vehicles are sold at a premium in the marketplace and they are a small percentage of car production. Alternative fuels purchased commercially also run at a premium cost when compared to relatively low cost of operating a gasoline powered car mostly due to distribution and access.

True Costs of Production

Research and development to achieve technological advances to support a broader use of these vehicles is a key question in growing and simplifying this market. In addition, the cost of retooling auto production lines is a challenging proposition during tumultuous times for the auto industry. There are also environmental costs paid into the production and disposal of the materials used in the manufacture of these cars. Examples include the large batteries required in many current designs, the carbon dioxide emitted during the production process, parts shipments that cross the globe and the special handling needed when batteries wear out and require disposal. There are safety challenges in some of the alternatives--liquid hydrogen, for example, can freeze and plug valves and can be dangerous to produce, store and transport in the large commercial volumes necessary to support a broad vehicle market.

Lack of an Alternative Fuel Standard

In addition to independent automakers, most major automakers have produced various alternative fuel prototypes in the last 10 years. Many currently market alternative fuel vehicles as key parts of their lines and there is an additional market for conversion of existing gasoline fueled vehicles. Many of the most popular vehicles are of a gas-hybrid variety, however, as an industry standard for alternative fuel vehicles has not been determined, efforts remain somewhat disparate and generate confusion in the marketplace.

Future of Alternative Fuel Vehicles

Irrespective of the current or future environmental benefits that may be found with a broad implementation of one or more alternative fuel standards, none will make a new market without focus and a clearly articulated systemic environmental benefit. Innovation and the marketplace will be determinative. But it will be a slow process, especially in the face of the relative affordability of gasoline and the ubiquity of vehicles on our roads which already run on it.