Lines and lines of pumps decorate the elaborate design of a gas station in the year 2030. As a new customer coasts up to the filling station, he notices that in addition to the usual 20th century choices - regular, super, and premium gasoline - there are four additional choices: ethanol, natural gas, hydrogen, and even electricity? No, this isn"t a page from a futuristic comic book, but instead an accurate prediction of what a gas station might look like in 30 years.

             Pollution is an ever-widening problem in the world today that cannot be easily solved. Many methods have been developed to reduce pollution, but almost none of them has been proven effective in cars. Alternative methods of fuel such as ethanol, hydrogen, natural gas, and even electricity (batteries), provide a sure-fire way of eliminating harmful emissions from cars. Perhaps most important, alternative fuel sources can resolve this concern not only efficiently, but also cost-effectively.

             It is true that in today"s modern world, people care less and less about the environment, and governments are just as guilty by their indifference in controlling the matter of pollution. A survey by the California Energy Commission found that last year alone in California, people have driven for over 150 billion miles and have consumed almost 15 million gallons of gasoline along with it (California). Also, gasoline emits such poisonous gases as carbon monoxide and other ozone depleting chemicals, and that 15 million gallons of this harmful substance was used in one state alone last year. For this reason, alternative sources of fuel must be implemented into cars as soon as possible. .

             In order to fully understand the benefits of alternative fuels, an in-depth look must be taken into gasoline. Gasoline is made during the refinement of petroleum. It is composed of a long strand of hydrocarbons - arrangements of hydrogen and carbon atoms - which make it relatively inexpensive and enable it to create more energy for its weight (115,400 BTU's per gallon) than almost any other fuel ("Clean").