Im wondering what would happen, would there be some kind of conversion kit for alternative fuel? Last thing i would want is to get a tiny electric vehicle, i would like something with raw power. What would happen to that nice big SUV or truck i plan on purchasing? Serious answers only, no environmentalist please
Asked by:Invisible Man
We would finally get to use hovercrafts! WOOOOOO.
Sorry, that wasn’t very serious, but c’mon.
If we ran out of gas, honestly most of us would be screwed.
There are alternatives however none would have the capacity to meet the demands. Any available fuel would be rationed. How much you would get would depend on who you are and what you do.
What fuel you can get will be expensive. $10+ per gallon would not be out of the question.
The rich and powerful would be able to get fuel. Also, I would think farmers would still get fuel to produce food. They may even make their own fuel.
The most immediate alternatives would be:
Ethanol. Most gasoline vehicles can run on this with little modifications. Flex fuel vehicles would require no modifications. The problem with ethanol is that the current technology uses our food for the raw materials. Also, the yield is not what it could be. And there is no way it could be made in sufficient quantities to completely replace gasoline.
The next best thing would be cellulostic ethanol. It has the benefits of ethanol. What makes this better is that it does not use food to make fuel. This process can use nearly any organic material. It also has a higher yield and the process is more efficient. The bad thing is that it is not yet in full production. Also, a lot of new infrastructure would need to be in place to replace gasoline.
Biodiesel is an alternative. However it has similar lack of capacity to replace diesel in the near future.
Hydrogen could be an alternative. However the technology for this is realistically at least 10 to 15 years away. There is also a lack of infrastructure. Also, current technology requires the use of fossil fuel to produce the hydrogen.
Depending on where you are from natural gas may be a viable alternative. It is abundant in some locations. These places also have some of the infrastructure as it is also used for home heating. It does not take much to convert a gasoline engine to run on this fuel.
We would find a way to keep things going. Money would drive the development of new technology to produce fuel. However in the short term fuel could vet scarce for most people and what fuel they find would be very expensive.
Same thing that would happen to humans if food or air ran out, we just stop doing what we were capable of doing. Alternate fuels will also be in higher demand and will run out even sooner. Just the thought that we would have to use animals for transport would be a great idea. 2 days to go into town that used to take 30 minutes. No more military as their equipment would have no fuel. Might not be such a bad idea. Everyone goes back to the land. No fuel to keep our electricity on (except nuclear), no more airplanes. Ney york to Florida would take weeks not hours. What a great idea.
It’s not hard to convert a gasoline car to run on propane or natural gas.
Natural gas conversions are common and relatively simple to do. You can also run your car on alcohol but you would need to change parts in the fuel system since alcohol attracts and holds water.