by Erik Markusson

Created on: May 26, 2009

The Flex-Fuel Hybrid; The Best of Two Technologies

Between increasing worldwide demand for gasoline and the threat posed by global warming it's crucial for the world to develop alternative forms of transportation. Because the automobile is the most common form of powered transportation alternative fuels need to be developed and used more widely. The sooner alternative fuels are implemented the better.

Currently the most viable alternatives appear to be hybrids and flex-fuel vehicles (FFVs). Some hydrogen technology currently exists and there are some vehicles on the road employing the technology. However, the infrastructure to support the wide commercial use of hydrogen doesn't exist yet.

All hybrid vehicles have both an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. They can operate independently or in tandem to varying degrees depending on the situation and the type of hybrid vehicle. There are 3 types of hybrids; mild, full, and plug-in. A mild hybrid's constant energy source is the internal combustion engine. Electric power is only employed to assist the internal combustion engine when extra power is required. In a full hybrid the 2 systems can work independently or in tandem. The electric motor is the sole source of power during idling, slow maneuvering, and light cruising. When more power is required the internal combustion engine kicks in. The plug-in hybrid is essentially an electric vehicle with an internal combustion engine as backup. The batteries in all hybrids are recharged through regenerative braking and the internal combustion engine. The plug-in hybrid has the added feature of being able to be recharged by plugging it into an electrical outlet.1

The other alternative is the flex-fuel vehicle (FFV) . The engine of a FFV is able to run on 2 different fuels, most likely E85 (85% ethanol, 15 % gasoline) and gasoline.2Another common alternative fuel used in FFVs is CNG, compressed natural gas. If this fuel is used a separate tank is needed in the vehicle. Through advanced flexible engine technology (HCCI) a FFV will be able to use many different fuels. Fiat is introducing a car in Brazil that can run on 4 different fuels; gasoline, diesel, ethanol, and natural gas.3

The hybrid feature adds $2,000 - $3,000 to cost of the vehicle. There's no extra cost for flex-fuel capability. However, hybrids increase fuel efficiency by 25%-40% while there's a decrease of 15% with FFVs running on ethanol. Thus FFVs cost more to operate because

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