Bi- and Tri-Fueled Vehicles

When OPEC put the squeeze on oil production in 1973, the world had a rude awakening. Six years later, the Iranian Revolution sent shock waves into the heart of the United States. Oil production ground to a halt in that country, and prices by the barrel shot to the highest level in history (not surpassed until 2006). Lines of cars roped for miles outside of gas stations, President Jimmie Carter installed solar panels on the White House, and the era of conservation took shape.

Stories on alternative fuels started showing up in the back sections of newspapers. Scientists frantically sought to quell reliance on oil. Thus, the first ethanol craze began (code name: gasohol, circa 1979). But Carter got the boot, Reagan removed the solar panels, and oil became king again. It took another 20 years or so for alternative fuels and vehicles to inch to the mainstream again.

Today, more options are available to green consumers looking to make a difference. After all, oil reserves are not going to last forever, and the sooner we find a bridge fuel the better. Is it natural gas or ethanol or better solar panels or even hydrogen fuel cells? It's hard to say, but as a consumer you can find many of the alternatives running vehicles today.

While still considered a niche market these types of vehicles remain more popular than ever. Just look at the success of hybrids that run on gas and electricity. Demand is outpacing production so there is obviously a hefty market to tap into.

Bi-Fuel vs. Dual Fuel

When you are shopping for an alternative fuel vehicle or looking to convert the engine in your current car to accept multiple fuels, the terms bi-fuel and dual fuel will surface. The terms are generally interchangeable, but there's a basic difference between the two.

A dual fuel vehicle has two tanks (e.g. gasoline and natural gas) which hold two different fuels that the engine uses separately. Thus, only one fuel at a time shoots into the combustion chamber. Generally one tank is a traditional gas tank and the other holds compressed natural gas (CNG), liquid propane gas (LPG), or methanol (M85).

Bi-fuel vehicles (a.k.a. Flex Fuel) might also contain separate tanks but, unlike a dual fuel set up, both fuels enter the combustion chamber at the same time. However, most vehicles with only one tank have bi-fuel characteristics in that they run on a mix of gasoline and ethanol or methanol.

Other bi-fuel vehicles hitting the market (mostly minivans and SUVs in the United States) run on E85 (ethanol or a.k.a. moonshine) or, if that fuel is not available, then regular unleaded gasoline.

There are many backers of ethanol who think the fuel will solve all the world's energy problems. But this hope remains embedded with numerous concerns―number one being the concern of having a primary fuel source come from a primary food source.

Tri-Fuel: The Great Beyond

Ford recently upped the alternative vehicle ante by offering a tri-fuel 10-cylinder mammoth pick-up truck. The engine runs on a combination of hydrogen, E85, and gasoline and can rumble up to 500 miles before having to refuel. The expansion to tri-fuel vehicles introduces hydrogen to the fix, which is the ultimate clean fuel.

However, vehicles running on hydrogen alone have been slow to mass manufacturing for a variety of reasons. One of the main hurdles thus far is the size of the fuel cell necessary to efficiently run the vehicle. Hopefully, tri-fuel technology will serve as the gateway for the hydrogen revolution.