Some Turning to Vegetable Oil for Fuel as Gas Prices Rise

chron.com ^ | May 31, 2008 | J.B. SMITH

[kellynla]

The Marine Corps way, "Improvise, Adapt, Overcome!"

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

I admire these folks for thinking outside the box, and am investigating home-brewed biofuels myslef BUT they need to be VERY careful about bragging about their engine conversions to the world:

Driver ticketed for using biofuel

Illinois Man Fined Thousands And Threatened With Felony Prosecution For Using Untaxed Biodiesel

Vegetable oil fuels cars -- and tax bills

[Virginia Ridgerunner]

Of interest PING!

[xcamel]

Just wait until he gets the bill from the state for the fuel taxes he owes..

(happened in 9 states now - one bill in IL was for $17,000)

[Larry381]

After the oil shortages of the early 1970s, he began experimenting and running vehicles with biofuels that included waste vegetable oil. Currently, he is consulting with the airline industry and the Federal Aviation Administration on biofuel for jets

Not sure I'd be thrilled to know any airliner I'm flying in would be fueled with chicken oil.

[EBH]

bump!

[NittanyLion]

The government isn’t going to approve of this...it isn’t about “improvising” or “environmentalism”...it’s about tax revenues for them.

[mvpel]

The straightforward solution to this is to keep contemporaneous records and file a quarterly fuel tax return. Big deal, still cheaper than buying petro-diesel.

[Right Wing Assault]

I wonder how many morons have filled up their GAS tanks with this stuff.

[Notwithstanding]

Better headline:

“Some turning to tired predictable stories about “vegetable oil as fuel” as readership and wages for journalists sink”

[Fair Paul]

But won’t using vegetable oil raise the cholesterol level of the truck?

[kellynla]

“I wonder how many morons have filled up their GAS tanks with this stuff?”

anyone that stupid doesn’t belong behind the wheel...
and luckily for themselves and the rest of us, if they have filled up their gas tank with biodiesel, the vehicle won’t go anywhere. LOL

[yefragetuwrabrumuy]

I’m missing something here. Normally, to convert vegetable oil to biodiesel, it needs to undergo transesterification, which means combining the vegetable oil with sodium hydroxide (lye) and alcohol, which boosts its energy level.

So does his engine somehow run on both diesel and unprocessed vegetable oil?

[Libertarian4Bush]

I got sucked into the world of vegetable oil. I was totally fascinated by it.

[count-your-change]

He says he’s a cheap guy but if he’s not paying the taxes he’s also a breaking the law. Hope he has a few pennies laid away for the bill.

[thackney]

So does his engine somehow run on both diesel and unprocessed vegetable oil?

Yes, but you don't want to leave SVO (straight vegetable oil) in the fuel line after it shuts down. Most systems start on diesel, heat the SVO, switch to running on SVO, then switch back to diesel before shutting down.

More information at web sites like:

GREASECAR VEGETABLE FUEL SYSTEMS
http://www.greasecar.com/

[Hardastarboard]

I remember reading a story several years ago about fast food restaurants in Detroit (I believe) selling their used cooking oil for something like $300 per vat every month. Thieves took to stealing the used oil to sell it themselves.

The restaurants complained to the police, who refused to investigate it. This of course infuriated the restaurateurs. The police explanation was "This is Detroit. You want us to investigate murders, or the theft of used frying oil?"

I always thought that was just a hilarious story.

[HangnJudge]

I’m missing something here. Normally, to convert vegetable oil to biodiesel, it needs to undergo transesterification

[Chode]

thank you... in many places road tax cheaters can get a BIG surprise in the mail come tax time.

[TypeZoNegative]

He’s not a tax cheat, he’s opting out of paying for a voluntary tax. People who use propane-powered cars don’t have to pay the gas tax. Neither do people who use propane or electric cars because the gas tax is a tax on gasoline itself, not on the roads. This will not hold up in court.