This section of the blog will be looking at traditional fuel cars.
There are many opinions on who designed and manufactured the first motorcar. According to History.com, the automobile was designed and manufactured in Germany and France in the late 1800s. Many of us would think that Henry Ford was the pioneer of cars. To be specific, Ford was the first to transform cars into a mass-production industry. Everything after that is history, and now cars are used by a billion people across the world. Car manufacturers can be found in Germany and USA, to Japan and China.
It is very likely the engine in the car that you or your parents are driving is running on traditional fuel. Traditional fuel refers to petrol and diesel. Both fuels are distilled from crude oil, however share several differences such as the fuel efficiency, particulate matter production, carbon dioxide emission, and price.
Petrol | Diesel | |
Price | Expensive | Cheapest option |
Carbon dioxide emission | Higher | Lower |
Fuel efficiency | Lower | Higher |
Particulate Matter production | Virtually 0 | Produces PM |
In Singapore, it is common for taxis to be run on diesel and for personal vehicles to be run on petrol. Below are some statistics on the motor vehicle population as found in the Annual Vehicle Statistics 2016.
Cars | Taxis | |
Petrol | 578,977 | 260 |
Diesel | 10,364 | 23,748 |
These statistics indicate that the vehicle population in tiny Singapore is abundant. In fact, the Singapore government has implemented several policies to try and reduce these numbers, for good reason of course!
With so many vehicles ploughing the roads daily, it is important that we understand the effects they have on the environment, human health and socially. Find out more about the effects of traditional fuel cars here!