Analysis of Alternative Fuels in Automotive Powertrains
The awareness of the effect emissions have on the environment and climate has
risen in the last decades. This has caused strict regulations of greenhouse gas
emissions. Greenhouse gases cause global warming which may have devastating
environmental effects. Most of the fuels commercially available today are fossil
fuels. There are two major effects of using fuels with fossil origin; the source
will eventually drain and the usage results in an increase of greenhouse gases
in the atmosphere. Fuels that are created from a renewable feedstock are often
referred to as alternative fuels and under ideal conditions they are greenhouse gas
neutral, meaning that the same amount of greenhouse gases is released during
combustion as the source of the fuel have absorbed during its growth period. This
evaluation method is known as a well-to-wheel analysis which besides emissions
also evaluates energy efficiencies during both the production and the combustion
phases.
By evaluating results of well-to-wheel analyses along with fuel properties
and engine concept characteristics, this report presents which driving scenario
that is suitable for different powertrain configurations. For example, vehicles
operating in high populated areas, as cities, have a driving scenario that includes
low velocities and multiple stops while vehicles in low populated areas often
travel long distances in higher speeds. This implies that different powertrains
are suitable in different regions. By matching favorable properties of a certain
powertrain to the properties important to the actual driving scenario this report
evolves a fuel infrastructure that is suitable in Sweden.
Andreas Gunnarsson
2009
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Last updated: 2021-11-10
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