Author(s)

J. Vurdelja & Z. Vogrin

Abstract

This issue is based on certain claims and extremely alarming facts. First, the increase in production and transport of material goods is directly related to the development of society with the resulting greater consumption of energy sources that are becoming one of the very serious causes affecting the environment, especially regarding air, soil and water pollution. Second, the latest scientific research (carried out by drilling of the Antarctic ice) have proven that the concentrations of greenhouse gases—such as methane and carbon dioxide—are now higher than they have ever been during the last 440 thousand years. Third, in global world dimensions, apart from households, heating plants and thermal power plants, as well as industrial production – transport traffic (especially road vehicles propelled primarily by petrol and diesel fuel) represent the most significant polluters of the human environment considering the atmosphere. Fourth, the available relentless exact data and technical analyses thereof provide a realistic assumption that there will soon come a moment (sometime around the year 2010) when the world will start to feel the lack of the currently expensive oil which is the basis of modern civilisation and economic development. Fifth, respecting the ideas of scientists according to which the development and use of advanced technologies will result, sooner or later, in general catastrophe – it is only logical to conclude that the automotive industry and the use of automobiles certainly have their important share in the mentioned apocalypse. Within this context a question is raised: IS THERE A REASONABLE ALTERNATIVE?! Some of the possible answers are the topic of this paper. Keywords: ecology, production and exploitation of automobiles, alternative sources of fuel, environment. 1 Introductory elaboration of the problem of environmental destruction The past unusual and as yet still insufficiently studied phenomena such as:

Keywords

ecology, production and exploitation of automobiles, alternative sources of fuel, environment.