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Hybrid Cars Tech
Types of Hybrid Cars
Flexible Fuel
Future Hybrid Cars

Flexible Fuel Vehicles

FFVs, or Flexible Fuel Vehicles, feature a single fuel system (a gas engine), which can operate on two different fuels (typically gasoline and E85, the ethanol blend fuel, or a mixture of both). Some consider them hybrids, some don’t.

Flexible Fuel Vehicles are very similar to conventional gas engine vehicles in many respects, even in performance (although fuel efficiency suffers slightly when the car is running on any blend featuring ethanol). The exceptions are the ability of the FFV’s fuel system to use two fuels, and the fuel system’s components, which are corrosion-resistant .

In 2007 DaimlerChrysler, GM, Ford, Nissan, Mercedes and Volvo collectively offered in excess of twenty Flexible Fuel Vehicle models.

Bi-Fuel Vehicles

Bi-fuel vehicles are similar to FFVs in that they can use two different fuels, but in a bi-fuel vehicle these two fuels use two separate fuel systems that never blend. The driver can decide which fuel to use by flipping a switch on the dashboard. Typically bi-fuel vehicles use gasoline or diesel in one system, and either natural gas (compressed or liquefied) or propane in the other.

Notable models

The Volvo Bi-Fuel S60 and V70 can use both gasoline and compressed natural gas (CNG).

The BMW Hydrogen 7 purports to use both gasoline and hydrogen.

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Related Resources

Wikipedia: Flexible Fuel
Flexible Fuel Club: Flexible Fuel
Fueleconomy.com: Flexible Fuel

 

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