The invention of the car is perhaps one of the most transformative inventions of the modern age
. The ability to use a vehicle to transport oneself opened options for transportation that were never a possibility before. This was not only a convenience in daily life but it also made possible a kind of freedom and wandering spirit that were just too limited by distance for most people. Over the years, the method of building cars has changed drastically as have the methods for fuel and propulsion.
Most cars today are powered by petroleum fuel in the form of either regular gasoline or diesel fuel. One fact about cars powered by diesel fuel than many people in the western hemisphere aren't aware of is that diesel fuel has 50% fuel burn efficiency. The best gasoline powered vehicles only have a 27% fuel burn efficiency. For this reason, diesel powered cars get much better gas mileage than regular gasoline cars. However, since most western consumers associate diesel fuels with large trucks there is a prevailing idea that diesel cars get worse gas mileage.
Cars with diesel engines are more popular in Europe than in the western hemisphere. However, most of the cars in the world are powered with regular gasoline fuel. Gasoline does have an advantage over diesel in that gasoline powered engines are usually lighter in weight than diesel engines. They are also able to work at higher rotational speeds, which makes them a better choice for faster, lighter cars like sports cars.
Compressed natural gas is another alternative to traditional gasoline-powered cars. Because its emissions are cleaner than petroleum gasoline, it is considered a more environmentally friendly option. It is also safer in the case of a spill because it is lighter than air and disperses quickly when released.
Because of the concern over the overuse of natural fossil fuels other options for powering cars have become a serious pursuit. Hybrid cars or cars with engines that are powered by both electric and gasoline have become a popular alternative. Many manufacturers have recently come out with all-electric cars available for the first time en mass. Other gas alternatives include biofuels. The most popular of these is ethanol.
Some of the time ethanol is combined with gasoline to power the car, as is the case in flexible-fuel vehicles more commonly know as flex-fuel vehicles. In flex-fuel vehicles gasoline can also be combined with another biofuel called methanol. All of these options are used to power a vehicle that has changed the world in a monumental way.