Green Machines

Interest In Alternative Fuels Gives Birth To Many New Businesses

(AP)  A Los Angeles architect who got his 1980 Mercedes coupe from Biobling boasted that he hasn't bought gasoline in nearly a year. Though he spends about $3.29 per gallon for biodiesel, Warren Wagner said he didn't mind paying more for fuel that's produced domestically.

"I'm not supporting big oil," Wagner said. "When I'm driving it around, my car is an ambassador for alternative transportation."

The Southern California Biodiesel Users Group boasts about 2,000 members. This month, some of its members formed a 100-car "bio brigade" that cruised through a section of Los Angeles to publicize their pledge to establish more biodiesel filling stations.

Meanwhile, people from as far as Japan and Portugal are contacting mechanics at LoveCraft to order conversion kits, Friedman said. To meet demands in the northwest, the company has opened an auto shop in Portland, Ore.

Four friends who had Lovecraft mechanics convert a Ford pickup to run on vegetable oil plan to take the truck on a yearlong road trip from Orange County to the tip of South America. Their mission is to advocate the use of recycled cooking oil to fuel diesel engine cars.

"People are going to think we're totally insane," said Sean Robbins, 25, of Newport Beach. "But if people can learn about how simple it can be to make a few mechanical changes to let cars run on veggie oil, then it'll be worth getting laughed at."

And an auto mechanic living in the bucolic Ojai Valley north of Los Angeles is out to show that biodiesel isn't for wimps. Joel Woolf's company Veg Powered Systems calls its conversion service "Veg My Ride," a riff on the popular MTV series "Pimp My Ride," which gives old cars flashy makeovers.

Woolf tests his parts by racing his veggie-fueled trucks in the high desert. He and his friends begin the competition with a tailgate party, where they deep-fry food in a vat of hot oil. When the oil cools down a bit, they filter it, feed the tank and rev their engines.

"We'll blow their doors off," Woolf said. "When we're all done, everybody at the racetrack will know about our veggie truck."

If they don't eat his dust, they'll at least be able to taste his exhaust - it smells like tempura.

[jvande7471]

Sorry for the duplicate posts...

[jvande7471]

cbscrash07, I appreciate the feedback. I had not considered the carbon plants "eat" while growing. I do think bio-fuels are a step in the right direction, however carbon is not the only byproduct of burning oil, wherever it came from. Plants don''t consume sulpher or soot.

[jvande7471]

cbscrash07, I appreciate the feedback. I had not considered the carbon plants "eat" while growing. I do think bio-fuels are a step in the right direction, however carbon is not the only byproduct of burning oil, wherever it came from. Plants don''t consume sulpher or soot.

[jvande7471]

cbscrash07, I appreciate the feedback. I had not considered the carbon plants "eat" while growing. I do think bio-fuels are a step in the right direction, however carbon is not the only byproduct of burning oil, wherever it came from. Plants don''t consume sulpher or soot.

[incog-nito]

That looks suspiciously like a bottle Jack Daniels.

[sparks224]

Most people need to whacked over the head with a two by four before they''ll pay attention to anything.
In the case of global warming, the two by four hasn''t quite made contact with the scull yet.
It''s going to be hilarious when it finally does.

[donnie900]

Why can''t ya clean up and process cow shyyt?

[Syndicate]

jvande7471: Bio Fuels are considered green and non pulluting because they soak up carbon when the plant is growing. This carbon is reemitted when the fuel is burned. It is considered a closed loop so the actual amount of CO2 in the atmosphere doesn''t change. Of all the Biofuels Veggie oil is the best one. It takes the least amount of energy to produce and contains the most energy per standardized unit.

[olebd]

Now what is Nancy really holding there? Could it be a urine sample from Clanky Bolts Cheney?

[ispace-2009]

The US government already possesses technologies which could end our dependence on hydrocarbons. See
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vyVe-6YdUk

for details.

[ispace-2009]

The US government already possesses technologies which could end our dependence on hydrocarbons. See http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vyVe-6YdUk for details.

[jvande7471]

This may have been addressed in a previous comment, but...

The article speaks several times about the driver not polluting the air because she drives a vehicle using bio-fuel. I believe bio-fuels reduce our dependance on foreign oil, but I don''t think they''re free of pollutants. The carbon footprint is about the same. This seems to be somewhat misleading. The way the article is written, I lean toward believing this was due to the author''s lack of understanding, and not deliberate.

[olgreyghost]

"Except it DOES affect others." themurph2000

There in lies the rub. In a liberty-based society, like the U.S. is supposed to be, people are free to do as they please as long as they cause no direct and measurable harm to others and they are free to do what is necessary to prevent others from causing direct and measurable harm to them. Socialism turns this on its head.

Since socialists consider any action by anyone to cause harm to others - if I drink a glass of water I deny others the right to drink it - then everyone can do what they think necessary to stop the individual, including killing him, from enjoying his rights to his own property. When a group takes away a person''s control over his own property, they''ve stolen that person''s property.

Liberty-loving individuals need to prepare to fight this form of theft where ever it raises its ugly head...

[enlightenu]

"Current concerns about climate change, high gasoline prices and uncertain availability of foreign oil have brought increased interest in alternative fuels"
"To take the vehicle that symbolizes one of the worst environmental violators and get it to run on vegetable oil was pretty cool," LoveCraft co-founder Brian Friedman said.

They are implying that biodiesel and vegetable oil are clean fuels, or at least cleaner fuels. That is not the case. Biodiesel emits 4.7% more CO2 than petroleum diesel, and believe it or not, but converting a car to run on vegetable oil is not actually legal under current EPA gudelines.

[Krazcarl]

This is not a green machine basicaly your using gas just not gas from oil so all the problems remain. We put men on the moon we build bombs that can level cities so what is the problem in constructing a car that gets a 100 mpg or personal transportation that doesn''t destroy the planet. That''s right we need space stations orbiting the planet or on the moon or Mars get real it''s 60 below 0 at the equator when is the last time you considered a holiday on the north pole but we spend billions of dollars on this junk that no common man will participate in for generations. So lets take this cash and improve the Quality of life here. If we put billions of dollars in it it will be solved but a couple of biofuel cars or methane cars are not the answer. How many billions have we spent in Iraq for little or nothing price of fuel has gone up not down. The common man needs to speak out not shuffle leaders.

[gopack443]

We won''t convert to alternative fuels overnight but it will happen once it becomes profitable or fossil fuels become to expensive. Seems to be starting to go that way now.

[themurph2000]

As long as the Hummer owner can afford it and isn''''t breaking any laws, it''''s NOT your place to preach to people about what they should be doing."

Take care of your own business and leave everyone else alone!
Posted by infidel_us at 09:30 AM : Sep 04, 2007

Except it DOES affect others. That''s the whole situation that drives up the oil and gas prices: the demand for oil. I have yet to meet a person who gave me a practical reason for driving a Hummer. It''s all about status, same as for people who drive $500,000 sportscars, or even rub it in your face that they drive a Prius. (the new snob vehicle)

You can''t rely on the oil companies to do right because they''re going to try to make the biggest profit they can: hence no upgrades in their infrastructure. The government is in the back pocket of the oil companies, so you can''t rely on help there. But since WE''RE the ones who use the oil (which I always found funny about those people who scream "No blood for oil" at the government), we do have some control over how much the prices are. Oil is a drug we have to kick, plain and simple. Can we live completely without it? Of course not. But how much it affects our lives is still under our control. It begins with all of us.

(BTW, I usually vote Republican: I just see things with a larger perspective than liberals, conservatives, or any political party)

[themurph2000]

Another problem that exists are large tariffs on South American sugar cane, mostly Brazil. They produce their ethanol that way, and it is extremely cost effective. If we can ease those restrictions enough to tap that source (without killing Hawaiian producers), we should give that a shot. As for starvation in the world, that''s a matter of the planet getting off its collective derriere and helping out. It''s not a matter of not having enough food; it''s dealing with the governments in some of these countries, compounded with making them self-sufficient.

More electric-based products are practical but not the lone solution. So far, there''s only one viable electro-gas car: the Prius. Other models out there haven''t improved gas mileage enough over their internal combustion counterparts to justify the cost of switching over, even with government incentives.

[infidel_us]

"I feel so superior driving next to a Hummer and going, ''Dude, yo, look at this, this is what you should be doing,"'' Brooks said.

That''s the BIGGEST problem with libs.....they all ''feel'' superior. ''Yo, chicky, it''s a free freakin country. As long as the Hummer owner can afford it and isn''t breaking any laws, it''s NOT your place to preach to people about what they should be doing."

Take care of your own business and leave everyone else alone!

[prolegomena]

Unfortunately, I''ll have to agree. Besides the downsides noted above, the consumption of that much bio-diesel would be a drain on the food supply... as would pure ethanol... which is not particularly responsible to our starving neighbors.

I''ll cast my vote with the electric technology... that really seems to be the cleanest alternative, and when coupled with base station solar generation and improved battery technology, I think the future is really there.