Car manufacturers and biofuel

Are car manufacturers alive to biofuel?

Biofuels have been gaining steady popularity in the last decade. It's taken a hit to the every day consumer's pocketbook in the form of ever increasing gasoline prices to accomplish this, but people are finally beginning to get onboard the alternative fuel bandwagon. As a result of the public outcry for less dependence upon fossil fuels, automobile manufacturers have begun to take the next steps in consumer vehicles.

Car manufacturers have begun manufacturing a full line of options for the green energy movement. From completely electric vehicles to flex fuel vehicles that run on E85 ethanol, to hybrid vehicles, there is a little something for everyone. The flex fuel vehicles are one of the largest growing segments of the automotive industry. One of the most popular biofuels in production is ethanol. Ethanol has been made of corn and is a renewable resource as opposed to fossil fuels. But corn is a more expensive crop to produce and requires a certain quality of land. Let's not forget that it's also necessary as a food crop as well.

Biofuel researchers have found that ethanol can also be effectively produced from a crop called miscanthus, or better known in the United States as switch grass. Miscanthus is much less expensive to grow and can be grown on much more marginal land. This is a direction that many biofuel developers are heading as a way to keep ethanol costs much lower for consumers. And rightfully so, as the movement toward alternative energy vehicles will lose momentum with the public if it ethanol becomes more expensive than gasoline.

The flex fuel vehicles on the road today are becoming more and more popular. Part of this popularity is due to the fact that you can use either gasoline or E85 ethanol interchangeably. This seems to be an excellent way to introduce the world to biofuel in a much less threatening manner. While the option of electric vehicles and hybrids are available and have a certain amount of popularity, it is the flex fuel concept found in ordinary automobiles coming off the line that is doing the most at this time to usher in the next step in the evolutionary chain for alternative energy vehicles. Flex fuel offers choices for the masses and allows people to begin seeing how ethanol is a truly better choice.