by Eyebrow2 21 Replies latest jw friends
Here is a co. that does a single tank, rather than a double tank, biodiesel conversion.
http://www.elsbett.com/engl/index.htm
I'm really interested, because I don't wan't to spend a whole lot on gas. If I lived in Europe, where it's double or triple what it is here, you bet your behind I'd be making the stuff, because, dammit, I love to drive!!
I'm really interested, because I don't wan't to spend a whole lot on gas. If I lived in Europe, where it's double or triple what it is here, you bet your behind I'd be making the stuff
eh just pull up to your local greasy spoon and viola! That would be cool to see if you could make it cross country that way.. AND if it is good enough for Willie Nelson then its good enough for me!
Here on the south end of Vancouver Island those little SmartCars are everywhere! 3-cylinder turbo diesels that get 70+ mpg. There is a waiting list to buy one and the City of Victoria is implementing reduced parking fees for vehicles less than 1.6 metres in length. Excellent! They are looking at reconfiguring some parking lots to accomodate a larger number of smaller vehicles.
I also own a diesel vehicle.
Unfortunately, it weighs almost 2 tonnes, and is guzzling diesel through a 6.5litre V-8 turbo. There was a time I needed such payload capacity but I'm done with that, and I missed this behmoth's "sell-by date".
It won't run properly on the corn oils or biodiesel, either. The emissions sensor clangs on something it doesn't like and throws a warning light on my dashboard and by-passes the turbo.
Then, I have the luxury of sucking down biodiesel with much less efficiency.
I've been going grocery shopping on my motorcycle recently. Can't buy the Econo-sized stuff that way, but it's good for fresh produce and other immediate consumables.
Anyone need a big dually 4x4? With enough rope it can pull a small planet out of orbit.
Eric
(My home is heated with oil. This winter, its going veggie!
Avi,
I know a couple guys online that do a one tank system with heat exchange, and one guy down in Florida that doesn't even bother with that. He mixes wvo with diesel right in the same tank...I think he doesn't do that too much when it gets chilly, or else it would clog the engines. He drives a couple of older mercedes, which a lot of guys I have seen on greasecar.com and other forums swear by.
I had a friend in high school that had a diesel chevette...we called it the Flying Vibrator, it shook so much hahah...but she got like 50 mpg.
Probably, you've heard that diesel cars are becoming even more popular than they used to. This is true according to car-dealer statistics. Still, cars with gasoline engines are more popular, probably because they are 15% cheper than the diesel versions on average.
In some European countries LPG installations are quite popular too, although a lot of Western Europeans look down on them. They're more economic and ecological. I have a VW Polo (2001) which runs on gasoline, but it also has an LPG installation. I only use gasoline when going abroad. In Poland I use LPG 90% of the time.
I save about 5 American bucks per 100km!.
$ 50 per 1000km
$ 500 per 10000km
$ 1750 per 35000km! which is my average annual kilometrage.
The cost of the LPG installation was abour $600.
Pole
Some of the problems as I understand them with Bio-Diesel is that the veg oils used have been extracted with chemicals that will breakdown rubber seals. Common biodiesel is about 20% vegetable product.
I read recently that the Pacific Island Nations are looking at coconut oil as a biodiesel replacement because of the high price of fuel. Hey, coconuts grow wild, what a wonderful concept.
I'm all for anything that replaces our dependence on non-renuable resources.
There's a company in Calif that has replaced the Prius batteries with a NiCad system that charges overnight on HH current at abou 25cents per charge and gets 80 miles out of a full charge before relying on gas. They will do the conversion for $12,000. Toyota is looking at developing their own (buying the CA co's patent I hope) and selling it as an option.
A friend bought a diesel VW and gets 51 US mpg city But dammit, a bug shouldn't cost $26,000 US when the original one costs under $2000 in 1965......
There's a big 1 billion euro research project currently considered by the EU Comission. Germany, Poland, Czech Rep and other countries are planning to master a technology of obtaining hydrogen from coal. Hydrogen is already used experimentaly as car fuel. Coal is obviously not a renewable resource, but the technology is expected to be very material-efficient.
Let's hope there are more such initiatives in the near future.
Pole
It's too bad that "Necessity is the Mother of Invention...."
Brenda....so true...
There is at least one LPG in Dallas, but I believe it is for only city owned vehicles.
The electric cars are so expensive. I think they have thier place, but I don't think that until the price goes down, that they will be viable options for most people in the lower and lower middle classes.
I wish there was more information given to the general public as to what options they have in their area. I would never even heard of biodiesel or other biofuels if I didn't happen to read about it on a skoolies group in yahoo...I think this is something they should cover with kids in school more, both in college and high school and elementary so as the next generation starts buying cars, they can make better decisions not just for their wallet but for the enviroment as well.
by the way: the UK is part of europe.
Pope
