Development of vehicles to operate on nonpetroleum fuels began in earnest in response to the energy shocks of the 1970s. While petroleum will remain the predominant transportation fuel for a long time, petroleum supplies are finite, so it is not too soon to begin the difficult transition to new sources of energy. In the past decade, composition of the fuel utilized in the internal combustion engine has gained recognition as a major factor in the control of emissions from the tailpipe of the automobile and the rate of formation of ozone in the atmosphere. Improvements in air quality can be realized by using vechicles that operate on natural gas, propane, methanol, ethanol, or electricity, but introduction of these alternative fuel vehicles presents major technical and economic challenges to the auto industry, as well as the entire country, as long as gasoline remains plentiful and inexpensive.
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October 1994
Research Papers
1993 Soichiro Honda Lecture: The Challenges of Change in the Auto Industry: Why Alternative Fuels?
R. J. Nichols
R. J. Nichols
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI 48124
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R. J. Nichols
Ford Motor Company, Dearborn, MI 48124
J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. Oct 1994, 116(4): 727-732 (6 pages)
Published Online: October 1, 1994
Article history
Received:
January 28, 1994
Online:
April 24, 2008
Citation
Nichols, R. J. (October 1, 1994). "1993 Soichiro Honda Lecture: The Challenges of Change in the Auto Industry: Why Alternative Fuels?." ASME. J. Eng. Gas Turbines Power. October 1994; 116(4): 727–732. https://doi.org/10.1115/1.2906879
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