Zero Emissions Vehicle (was Electric Veh.)

[wmcgonegal at rr.etc.ncr.doe.ca]

>Someone with a heavily modified engine would merely use more alcohol, 
>not add to any pollution problem (except maybe water vapour/humidity? 

There are other chemicals coming out of the tail pipe than just water 
and CO2 when alcohol is burned.  Anytime you burn a fuel in the 
presence of nitrogen you can create some oxides of nitrogen.  There 
are also other non regulated emissions, which may or may not be more 
harmful.

Even clean burning fuels such as propane may not be so clean when not 
properly set up.  When the automobile manufactures develop a vehicle, 
they spend millions of dollars on research ensuring that the emissions 
fall below the regulated targets.  When a small company develops a 
retrofit kit for your gasoline vehicle to run on an alternative fuel 
do you really think it runs cleaner?  What I am trying to say here is 
that you cannot expect to put an alternative fuel into a gasoline 
engine and get ultra low emissions.  Just as with gasoline, the 
systems must be set up correctly to get a clean burn.

Will McGonegal
Electrical Engineer
Mobile Sources Emissions Division
Environment Canada
wmcgonegal at rr.etc.ncr.doe.ca