DOD Alternative Fuels

The Department of Defense (DOD) is expecting companies to state propositions for supplying 200 million gallons of alternative or synthetic fuel in anticipation of major field tests of vehicles and vessels by the Air Force and Navy in 2008 and 2009. The field tests are part of a greater campaign by the Pentagon to cut down its dependance on foreign oil with cleaner-burning fuels that would bring down its greenhouse gas discharges.

The shift by the DOD from conventional fuels to alternative fuels is one that experts have figured coming for years. The DOD is likely the biggest vehicle fleet in the United States and with the government being concerned about gas prices as well as environmental problems, stimulating the DOD go to alternative fuel for its vehicles is a large act on their role.

This request from the DOD could truly aid the ordinary consumer as it will boost production of alternative fuels and maybe take them into the worldwide market as a viable alternative to petrol. Still, the request could have a leading touch on the alternative fuels market if the military machine settles to act forward following the tests because the Pentagon is the single most significant buyer of fuel in the country.
Under the possible buy, the Air Force and Navy through the DOD would each get 100 million gallons of alternative fuels for examining on ships, airplanes and other operating units. Those fuels would in all probability be combined with existing DOD fuel types in a 50/50 mix or similar proportion.

There won’t be sufficient alternative fuels to set a 100 percent alternative mix for leastwise a decade according to the DOD. But even bringing down petroleum usage by 50 pct in this country is huge. What the DOD is ordering is that they don’t want carbon dioxide greenhouse gases emitted into the atmosphere and they want to cause everything they can to ease that problem.
Each of the military services wants to hold its actual single-fuel policy, under which all vehicles are run with as similar a fuel type as realizable. DOD officials wish to use 50/50 alternative fuel/gasoline combines widely for the service tests at initial, with an eye to potentially revising the ratio for optimum efficiency later on. But that may be a problem as many engines will have to be adjusted to accommodate the alternative fuel and burn it right.
With the DOD upcoming aboard in the push to create alternative fuel less alternative, we may be experiencing a real change when it comes to fueling our vehicles. It could be very advantageous to numerous people including the Earths population.