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Author Topic: Biodiesel Fuel Might Be Available Soon. Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 05-15-2003 04:54 PM                     Here is something I though was noteworthy in some ways was funny. Gov Locke signs five enviromental bills, and here is one of them: House Bill 1240 creates tax breaks to encourage production of biodiesel, a cleaner burning fuel made from agricultural products. Several stores in Washington State sell biodiesel. Which apparently smells like popping popcorn when it burns, but no one makes it in Washington State yet despite ample raw materials. Cool……Let’s get a bunch of diesel trucks gathered around a theatre and say, “Gentlemen, start your engines”.  |  IP: Logged Jack Ondracek Film God Posts: 2348 From: Port Orchard, WA, USA Registered: Oct 2002 posted 05-16-2003 01:00 AM                        Sounds like a good reason to dump your electric utility at your theatres and radio stations, and go with clean, environmentally friendly bio-diesel generators, Paul!  |  IP: Logged Leo Enticknap Film God Posts: 7474 From: Loma Linda, CA Registered: Jul 2000 posted 05-16-2003 02:42 PM                        There was a story in the papers late last year about someone who had been arrested in Wales after Police noticed a frying oil smell coming from his car: it turned out that he'd been running its Diesel engine on vegetable (cooking) oil in an attempt to evade paying the duty on legit Diesel fuel. The nearest I've found on BBC Online is this story, but I distinctly remember another one a few months later about this bloke who had actually done it. It turned out that his car's engine management computer was so clever that it automatically adjusted whatever it had to adjust so that the engine ran on the vegetable oil without any modifications.  |  IP: Logged Mike Rendall Film Handler Posts: 78 From: Southampton, Hampshire, UK Registered: Nov 2002 posted 05-18-2003 02:07 PM                     Running a diesel car on vegetable oil is not a recent thing. It has been done for ages (in South America they developed cars that can run on rape seed oil and ethanol from reformed sugars). Any normal Diesel car can run on oil, first you need to strain the oil, then add 5% paraffin (this replaces the need to heat it up by making it less viscous). There was an article on the BBC Top gear TV program about just how easy it was to do it. Some more information from these links : Guardian Website Autoexpress Website Goat Industries conversion website Personally, I think Fuel Cells are the way to go: Clean, Efficient, Quiet, virtually no maintenance etc .. Mike  |  IP: Logged Paul G. Thompson The Weenie Man Posts: 4718 From: Mount Vernon WA USA Registered: Nov 2000 posted 05-18-2003 07:17 PM                     There is plenty of alternative fuels out there. Problem is, they "tread on the oil company's turf" and they don't like that. Secondly, the US Gov is not sure how they can squeeze the last penny of tax out of fuel for motor vehicles, especially if you make your own out of corn cobs like they did in the day of the "moonshiners." Electric cars have been made in or around 1900. They worked! Electric trolleys also worked. GM didn't like them. GM bought them all out, forced them into a operating loss, and replaced them with Diesel busses. I'll bet the government would have a cow in most places if they found you burning something other than Diesel fuel (dyed green in color, no less) in your Diesel truck. Ground support equipment in the military air installations burn jet fuel in their engines. Was it in LA where they were experimenting with hydrogen and oxygen in their city busses several years ago? Last I heard, it was considered "too dangerous." I think it was just a cover-up.  |  IP: Logged Daryl C. W. O'Shea Film God Posts: 3977 From: Midland Ontario Canada (where Panavision & IMAX lenses come from) Registered: Jun 2002 posted 05-18-2003 09:34 PM                        Vancouver, Chicago and LA all have / had 'Ballard Busses'. Last I read there should be at least three automotive companies releasing Fuel Cell Powered vehicles during the next model year. Apparently bus trials are starting in Europe soon... Ballard Power Systems I haven't ridden any of the busses, but I have had the opportunity to use one of Ballard's Fuel Cell Powered Generators... nice and silent, not to mention you can use them indoors.  |  IP: Logged

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