Vehicle Fuel

• Gasoline and other fuels are made for vehicles. The fuels must be processed into a form that cars can use, such as petroleum gasoline or diesel. The fuel will then be injected into the car's engine and ignited. The energy provided by the combustion is converted into motive force to move the cars' wheels and other systems.
  
  

Electrical Power

• Many electrical power plants in the U.S. burn coal to produce electricity. Unlike oil, which typically comes from foreign sources, much of the coal the U.S. uses comes from inside the country. Nuclear, coal, oil and natural gas electric power plants work the same way. The fuel is burned to heat water. The water becomes steam which, in turn, rises to the turbines. The turbines turn and generate electricity.
  Fossil fuel plants and vehicles contribute to the greenhouse effect, which raises the temperature of the Earth because certain gases reflect additional sunlight back to the Earth's surface.
  
  

Heating Homes

• Natural gas and home heating oil allow people to keep their homes at a comfortable temperature in the winter. Heating oil, like gas, must be processed into a usable form, while natural gas requires very little processing to become usable in the home. Propane, another type of fossil fuel, can be used to cook food and heat homes. It is the common source of fuel for trailers and outdoor barbecue grills.
  
  

Manufacturing

• Plastic uses petroleum in its production process. Many items in use today contain at least some plastic, including popular laptop and netbook computers. Many children's toys could not be made without petroleum.