There have been some earthshaking developments in the world of automobile fuels, heretofore dominated by fossil fuels. America and Europe are being swept up in biofuel, with its current epicenter of Brazil. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s remarks about converting 10% of Japan’s gasoline usage to domestically produced biofuel have caused violent tremors in Japan. And electricity and hydrogen are both back on the scene. All these alternate fuel sources have the potential to transform the future of the automobile.

There is clear evidence of the effect that biofuel will have in decreasing CO2, which is the key advantage of using biofuel, and that is an analysis of CO2 emissions done by US General Motors. CO2 emissions by vehicles powered by woodderived biofuel are dramatically reduced compared to vehicles that use fossil fuels such as gasoline.

Control of CO2 emissions can also be achieved by sustainable energy sources other than biofuel. Electricity generated by hydro-power or solar energy as well as the hydrogen thus produced are also low in CO2 emissions. Further, use of electricity or hydrogen obviates the need for an engine, and so would revolutionize the automobile as we know it. But according to Masanori Ueda of Nissan Motor, “We don’t know yet which alternative fuel will become the mainstream.” When the automobile was first being developed in the late 19th century, steam and electricity were candidates for fuel source as well as fossil fuels. Today, there is once again the start of competition among different fuel sources, which may signify a rebirth for the automobile. Are cars driving off into a future that is markedly different from today’s incarnation?

See more of this article from Japan Close Up Magazine.