Transportation is one of the largest consumers of petroleum based fuels. For the past years it has been said that the petroleum reserves are to be totally depleted within the next ten years. Because of this rising crisis, studies and research were made to produce alternative fuels made especially for the use of cars and other forms of transportation vehicles.

The most promising type of alternative fuel is ethanol. Ethanol unlike any other petroleum based fuel is very efficient, cheap and most of all it burns cleanly. Gas emissions made by cars using ethanol are said to be free from pollutants and the engines have lesser accumulations thus lengthening engine life and improving engine performance. Ethanol on the other hand is very flammable giving it its disadvantage to become a fuel. Biodiesel is another alternative type of car fuel, made from various vegetable oils. It has almost all the good properties as ethanol. The disadvantage of biodiesel is that, it may leave various particulate accumulation on the engine so particulate traps must be installed. Last is propane, which is usually in the form of LPG (liquefied petroleum gasoline). Car engines that run on propane are more efficient than ethanol and biodiesel. They can last up to 80, 000 to 100, 000 miles without breaking down and propane engines can last up to three times longer than gas or fuel engines. Propane engines are very expensive making it a major disadvantage to be used by consumers.

Alternative fuels may sound really great, for they cost less and are more efficient. The problem is within the implementation and mass production of these alternatives. Another is that new car engines for this type of fuels are very expensive and only few manufacture this type of engines. Making it impossible for this alternative fuels to become truly alternatives.