As people become more aware of environmental issues and conscious of their actions, demand for hybrid cars, to buy and rent, has risen.

A hybrid car is a car which can run on two or more fuel sources - most commonly an engine and an electric motor powered by batteries. The motor and batteries help the engine work more efficiently which means you spend less on fuel and emit fewer emissions.

The Toyota Prius is probably the most well known hybrid car. It first went on sale in 1997 and since then, more than 10,000 Prius’ have been sold in Australia. The Australian Government’s Green Vehicle Guide website rates all new vehicles based on greenhouse and air pollution emissions and fuel consumption. The Prius is currently the top performer in all 3 with a fuel consumption of 4.4L per 100kms.

To give you an idea of what this means - a Hummer H3 Adventure has a fuel consumption level of 13.2L/100km, Toyota Rav 4’s fuel consumption is 9.6L, a Mercedes Benz C Class C180K is 7.6L and a Honda Civic 1.8L sedan has a fuel consumption of 7.2L. According to Toyota, a Prius has up to 50% less consumption than a comparably-sized family car and that one tank of fuel could theoretically get you over a whopping 1000km!

While hybrid cars are still quite expensive to buy - a Toyota Prius 1.5L petrol/Electric combination CVT will set you back $37,400 (from www.toyota.com.au), renting one may be within your budget.

DriveAway currently have Hybrids available to rent in France and the USA, but with car rental suppliers adding more ‘green’ cars to their fleets, this is sure to grow over the next few years.

Renting a hybrid does cost more than renting a similar sized non-hybrid car (due to supply and demand and the fact that hybrids are more expensive for the rental company to buy), but you will save money on fuel and of course, it’s better for the environment. Click here for more details.







Thanks to Car Guru for contributing this article to our Alternative Energy blog:

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Biofuels may be defined as any fuel obtained from biomass. Biomass is material derived from plants and animals. Experts and environmentalists feel that we need to make changes in our manner of living so that we can protect the planet from global warming. Switching to biofuels for the transportation industry can be one such change.

Some of the Biofuels include vegetable oil, biodiesel, biogas and bioalcohol. Vegetable oil is used to manufacture biodiesel which can be used in cars. Biodiesel is generated through a process known as transesterification by using oils and fats. Today, this is the most commonly used biofuel in the world. Bioalcohols like ethanol fuel and butanol are produced by fermentation of sugars and starch. Biodiesel is a source of renewable energy, since it is plant based. It is a green fuel as it does not release toxic gases in the atmosphere.

Biodiesel can be used in any diesel engine, mixed with the normal diesel. Biobutanol which is also called biogasoline can be used directly in a vehicle as a replacement for gasoline. Biofuels are beneficial to the environment as they reduce greenhouse gas emissions, reduce our dependence on fossil fuel, increase national energy security, increase rural development and provide a sustainable fuel supply for the future.

Many environmental groups are supporting the use of biofuels since they see it as a significant step towards slowing down climate change. Many countries which are beginning to recognise the importance of bioenergy have dedicated facilities for research, development and deployment. There is exchange of information and co-operation among the nations who realize the importance of reaping the benefits of biofuels.

At present there are a few problems associated with the use of biofuels, one of them being the high cost of production. Another point of note is the extensive deforestation due to the use of wood as a source of biomass, and the negative impact it will have on the environment. There are other issues with bio diesel fuel relating to the transport industry, as it does not perform well in cold climates. The wax crystals formed may clog fuel lines of the vehicles. So vehicles may still have to be powered by gasoline in cold climates unless future research can overcome these problems.

In future however, biofuels should become cost effective, affordable, abundant and eco-friendly. This is a challenge for the scientists and hopefully, with the amount of research being done in the field of biotechnology, the world will get an abundant source of alternative energy. Once the stocks of fossil fuels deplete, and the price of oil rises to unprecedented levels, there will be tremendous pressure to look for alternatives. Biofuels can then be used as an alternative source of energy for powering your cars,boilers and engines as also providing heat and electricity to your homes.



Thanks to Abhishek Agarwal for contributing this article to our Alternative Energy blog:

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I need websites about alternative fuels.

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Even though there are all different types of websites online that advertise biodiesel equipment, the safest place could be the national biodiesel board because it is particular about who they allow to advertise on their website. If you were to visit this website you would be able to find information concerning biodiesel plants, biodiesel suppliers, and those that supply biodiesel equipment.

Below, you will find a short list of all the companies that are well-known for biodiesel equipment sales and that have been approved by the highly respected national biodiesel board:

Doctor Diesel is located within California and is known to specialize within the production of biodiesel making equipment for small scale businesses and parts for the serious home brewer or hobbyist. It is also a very good website to receive advice on creating your very own biodiesel fuel.

Located in Nevada, Biodiesel Solutions is sincerely dedicated to support each of the small-scale biodiesel makers in every single aspect of creating their very own fuel. This is also a company that supplies materials to the biodiesel plants and the biodiesel cottage industries.

Located within Georgia, B100 Supply provides all of the safety equipment, lab ware, pumps and chemicals that are required for making a SVO conversion kit that you can be used for your car and homemade biodiesel.

Located in Illinois, Biodiesel Gear is known to produce biodiesel equipment that is cost effective and offers accessories that you are going to need in order to create your very own homemade biodiesel brew. This company also supplies individual parts like pumps and hoses to all of the home brewers that are trying to design a certain type of biodiesel processor.

BioFuels is located within Argentina and is known to produce pressurized steel units that have been designed for several corporate and individual uses. These are self-contained biodiesel processors that will convert both waste and virgin vegetable oil into a perfect blend of homemade biodiesel.

GHP Biodiesel is a German company that sells small-scale equipment for all of the home biodiesel brewers.

Located within Austria, Energea is known to manufacturer a Tran’s etherification reactor which is a biodiesel processor that is a turn-key container that turns any type of waste oil into a biodiesel fuel.

Overall, if you are looking for biodiesel equipment, these are the places that you need to check out. With these places, you will have everything that you could ever imagine for brewing your very own biodiesel fuel. In the end, if you don’t find that you are looking for at these places, there are many more places to look.



Thanks to Marlon Dirk for contributing this article to our Alternative Energy blog:

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Hybrid cars are considered as the car of the future. It is able to effectively conserve fuel and at the same time, it only produces low levels of toxic fumes. Because of these benefits, hybrid cars are now growing in popularity every single day. Many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional cars and purchase a hybrid car to help in cutting fuel consumption cost.

Hybrid cars have two engines for it to effectively conserve fuel consumption. It has the traditional gasoline engine and it also has an electric motor and batteries. The two engines work together in order to cut fuel consumption. With this technology, you will be able to cut fuel usage by more than half. Just imagine, with a hybrid car, you will be able to go more than 60 miles to the gallon. With this kind of savings, hybrid cars are definitely the car of the future.

Hybrid car owners virtually do not feel the increasing cost in fuel prices. This is the main advantage of the hybrid car. There are other advantages that a hybrid car can give you. Recently, the President of the United States has signed an agreement that hybrid car buyers will be able to enjoy tax incentives. This means that by owning a hybrid car, you will be able to save money on taxes.

There are other benefits that the government imposes on hybrid car owners, such as free parking, and free entry to car pool lanes. Some even offer discounted fees on toll gates.

The braking in hybrid cars is also configured to capture the energy released and uses it to charge the batteries inside the hybrid car. This means that unlike electric cars, hybrid cars do not actually need to be charged from your home electric outlet.

However, with all the advantages that a hybrid car can give you, there are also disadvantages. The main disadvantage of hybrid cars is that the retail price is quite expensive. Only people who have enough money can purchase hybrid cars. However, the twist in all this is that hybrid cars are actually cheaper when compared to conventional cars in the long run. If you compute the total fuel consumption of both cars, you will actually see that you can save a lot more money on hybrid cars.

The only thing is that hybrid cars are expensive right from the car lot.

Hybrid cars are relatively heavy because of the heavy batteries installed inside the car. This is why hybrid car manufacturers integrates smaller internal combustion engines and are constructed with light materials and should be aerodynamic in order to maximize efficiency. This means that hybrid cars can never really go fast.

Another issue about hybrid cars is that it is very risky in accidents. What makes a hybrid car work effectively is also what makes it risky if it ever gets involved in an accident. This is because hybrid cars stores high amount of voltage in its batteries. This means that there is a high chance of getting electrocuted when you get involved in an accident. This also means that it is relatively difficult for rescuers to get the drivers and passengers out of the hybrid cars because of the dangers of high voltage in the car.

These are the advantages and the disadvantages of hybrid cars. Car manufacturers today are now looking for ways to get rid of the disadvantages of hybrid cars. In the near future, you will see that hybrid cars will be lighter and also contains less risk due to high voltage dangers.



Thanks to Hilal Abdelwali for contributing this article to our Alternative Energy blog:

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