Ethanol: the future of automobilesThe world runs on gasoline, there is no argument on that. According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (1), motor vehicles are responsible for about half of harmful air emissions. It is worrying to know that most of the planet relies on automobiles or other forms of transportation dependent on fossil fuels to power its economy. This is a growing problem in the environmental field and finding a substitute for gasoline such as ethanol fuel; it could restore our damaged house. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayIn 1896, Henry Ford created his first automobile, the quadricycle, a car designed to run on 100% pure ethanol. In 1908, Ford Motor Company created the successful Model T, designed to run on ethanol-alcohol, a mixture of ethanol and gasoline. In the 1940s, America's first-ever ethanol fuel plant was built by and for the U.S. Army to provide fuel for the military. From the 1940s to the 1970s, ethanol consumption became low due to cheap gasoline. In 1990, the Clean Air Act amendments were passed, favoring cleaner fuels used in gasoline and in 1992, the Energy Policy Act was passed to limit the United States' dependence on oil stranger. In the late 1990s, automakers began selling flexible fuel vehicles that could use up to 85 percent ethanol. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 requires that U.S. gasoline contain a minimum amount of renewable fuel. (3) Ethanol is an energy source made from corn and sugar cane, it is the same alcohol used for alcoholic beverages. Ethanol burns cleaner than gasoline, which reduces air emissions; and can be cultivated, meaning it is a renewable resource unlike fossil fuels. Ethanol is primarily grown in the United States, with the potential to create independence from foreign oil. Users of E85 (85% ethanol in gasoline) report that they do not experience any defects or degradation, but sometimes an improvement in the performance and reliability of their automobile (2). In parts of the Midwest and Brazil, people use E85 ethanol in gasoline. . According to Stephan Dinan, E85 represents 40% of the automobile fuel used in Brazil, which helped Brazil establish its independence from foreign oil in late 2006. This type of success is a concrete example of what the United States United and the world should do. try to accomplish. Brazil uses sugar cane to produce ethanol, unlike the United States' use of corn, which under the circumstances may be just a dream since corn and sugar are different and that Brazil and America are geologically different. “Corn and other grains will never reach Brazil's level of replacing 40 percent of the gasoline sold in the United States,” said Bob Dineen, president of the Renewable Fuels Association. (6) E85 or 85% ethanol in gasoline cannot be used by the majority of automobiles and requires a Flex Fuel vehicle or a configuration of a car previously running on gasoline. Flexible fuel allows cars to run on fuel containing up to 85% ethanol and, due to its reduced dependence on gasoline and oil, users can rely more on their vehicle than on gasoline thanks to has.