My Hooptie

I love my car--a white 1991 Honda Civic lovingly dubbed Gunter Grass (since it's so small, it's kinda like a tin drum)--but Mrs. F isn't so enamored of it. To the point she won't call it "our" car, reminding me that it would only be "our" car if it had power steering and a sun or moon roof. So, we're thinking that sometime in the next year, we'll probably be investing in a new car. And we're both very tempted by the Toyota Prius hybrid--it's very mod looking and the gas mileage and low CO2 emissions tweak our enviro fascist hearts. Then there's diesel, which is quite popular in Europe and gaining here in the US (following via the Wall Street Journal:

Today's diesel engines are nothing like the ones that made a brief and smelly appearance in passenger cars in the U.S. in the late 1970s. Gone is much of the soot and black smoke that many Americans associate with diesel-powered 18-wheelers. Modern diesels, which power almost half of all new cars sold in Europe, use advanced electronics to combine air and fuel in a precise mixture that burns much cleaner. They also get about 30% better mileage than comparable gasoline engines. [...] Diesels still have serious downsides, as well. They spew more nitrogen oxide, which contributes to smog, and more sooty particulates than gas engines. Car makers are working on filters that will trap and burn away these particles, but there are other problems, too. Only about a third of all U.S. gas stations carry diesel, and in some areas diesel is more expensive than regular gas. Since many diesel engines used in Europe don't yet meet the tougher emissions standard imposed by California and other states, some car makers like BMW AG have not tried to sell newer diesels here. But diesel is winning support. General Motors Corp. is working on a six-cylinder diesel engine for some new SUVs. Ford Motor Co. is working to commercialize diesel technology developed by the Environmental Protection Agency that reduces nitrogen-oxide emissions. DaimlerChrysler AG has launched diesel versions of its Mercedes E-Class and Jeep Liberty. So far this year, Chrysler has sold 6,000 diesel Jeeps -- as many as it had thought it would sell all year.

But I'm here to tell you, there's something else... biodiesel. That's right--a car run on vegetable oil with a continuous aroma of pommes frites! And Volkswagen diesels run great on biodiesel. Here are some FAQ items culled from Biodiesel.org and Seattle Biodiesel:

What is biodiesel? Biodiesel is the name of a clean burning alternative fuel, produced from domestic, renewable resources. Biodiesel contains no petroleum, but it can be blended at any level with petroleum diesel to create a biodiesel blend. It can be used in compression-ignition (diesel) engines with little or no modifications. Biodiesel is simple to use, biodegradable, nontoxic, and essentially free of sulfur and aromatics. How is biodiesel made? Biodiesel is made through a chemical process called transesterification whereby the glycerin is separated from the fat or vegetable oil. The process leaves behind two products -- methyl esters (the chemical name for biodiesel) and glycerin (a valuable byproduct usually sold to be used in soaps and other products). What about my diesel engine’s performance? Is it as good as with petrodiesel? Some would argue that it is better! Your miles-per-gallon, torque and horsepower will be about the same, and you’ll welcome the scent of french fries coming from your tailpipe. (Incidentally, you’ll have far less tailpipe emissions with biodiesel as well—it reduces the carcinogenic properties of auto exhaust by as much as 78 percent, depending on the blend you use.) Since biodiesel has much higher lubricity value than petrodiesel, studies have also shown that it can increase the life of your engine. With adding just 2% biodiesel to petrodiesel, 65% lubricity is added back into the engine. With emissions-reducing petrodiesel restrictions scheduled for 2006, biodiesel may be the only approved fuel that also maintains or increases engine life. OK, so biodiesel exhaust smells like french fries. It still pollutes the air, right? No, actually, it doesn’t! Pure biodiesel reduces the carcinogenic properties of exhaust by as much as 78 percent. Even a 20 percent blend of biodiesel and petroleum reduces particulate matter by 31 percent, carbon monoxide by 21 percent and total hydrocarbons by 47 percent. Biodiesel does not release carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide into the atmosphere. Since it contains no sulfur, it also decreases acid rain. So just how available is ASTM–approved biodiesel in the United States? Europe is a few steps ahead of the United States when it comes to biodiesel; 40 percent of European cars are diesel-powered and Europe claims 95 percent of the biodiesel market, compared to 5 percent in the United States. Nevertheless, biodiesel is commercially available in all 50 states. You can get it at retail pumps in nine states, including Washington. Most U.S. biodiesel must be transported from the Midwest, where most of the crops grow, which risks contamination in recycled tanks. As biodiesel continues to grow domestically, consumers will be able to purchase local biodiesel grown and processed in their own state. One Hawaiian company makes biodiesel mostly from used cooking oil, saving 40 tons of oil from the landfill each month! How would Rudolf Diesel feel about vegetable oil in his engines? Diesel is the father of biodiesel; when he introduced his heat-combustion engine at the World Exhibition in Paris in 1900, he fueled it with peanut oil. His vision from the beginning was to use vegetable oils as fuel, but in the end, he was a victim of intrigue, politics and financial concerns—he disappeared from a boat in the English Channel, only to reappear days later as a body floating on the water.

The great news for me and Mrs. F: there's a biodiesel outlet very close to our homestead.

More on biodiesel as I continue my explorations.