Transportation Fuels

There are two important transportation fuels: gasoline and diesel fuel. Alternative fuels for Otto engines or light-duty vehicles (LDVs) such as cars and light trucks include: (1) reformulated gasoline, (2) compressed natural gas, (3) methanol and ethanol, (4) liquid petroleum gas, (5) liquefied natural gas, (6) Fischer–Tropsch liquids using syngas from natural gas, (7) hydrogen, (8) electricity, and (9) fuel cells. Alternative fuels for diesel engines or heavy-duty vehicles (HDEs) include: (1) Fischer–Tropsch (FT) diesel, (2) vegetable oil, (3) biodiesel, and (4) dimethyl ether (DME). Both FT and DME can be manufactured from natural gas and are therefore not limited by feedstock availability. Biodiesel on the other hand, is produced from vegetable oils, whose supply for non-nutritional uses is presently quite limited.