Daniel asks…
Can I run my New Zafira 1.9cdi on Biodiesel ? my local station sells a 60/40 mix ….?
admin answers:
I would agree totally with the last answer.
I am sure your car will “Run” on biodiesel.
In fact it will probably “Run” on vegetable oil left over from frying chips, but this may well damage the fuel system and invalidate a warranty.
See what Vauxhall have to say first….
Good Luck !
Sandy asks…
Can I use that Propel ethanol biofuel for my car?
I have seen those Propel stations recently and it says biodiesel or something like that. What exactly is it and which vehicles can use it? Can it be used for a regular car?
admin answers:
Depends- If you drive a car with a diesel engine- Soy diesel/biodiesel will work just fine.
If you drive a gasoline powered vehicle- the only biofuel you can run on is ethanol. Methanol could be used, but has much less energy per given amount compared to Ethanol, which too has less energy per given amount than gasoline.
Lisa asks…
Nearest biodiesel supplier?
I would like to find the nearest biodiesel supplier to where i live. Preferably a filling station. I live near Harrow north west london.
My hand book says that i cannot use it but i think a mixture of bio and normal diesel wont hurt. Apparently euro4 complient engines dont like it but i have heard from others there is no problem.
I think the oil companies influence those hand books
admin answers:
Get yourself to tesco mate and buy some vegetable oil and get it in there. Half and half
works a treat
Carol asks…
What is the best alternative-energy for vehicles?
OK, I used to be all gung-ho about ethanol, but I have heard too many bad things about it. For one, ethanol takes as much energy to produce as it releases. Also, it will be MORE expensive than gas, and pollute almost the same amount.
Biodiesel seems to be a good one, but it may damage engines over long periods of time, as it contains water.
So what is going to be the actual alternative energy that replaces gasoline? Heck, I may even drive one, as long as it meets my few but strict standards:
1. It has to cost less than, or at least no more than, gasoline.
2. It has to take no more time to fill up than gasoline.
3. My car can sacrifice no performance due to it.
4. My car can be no more expensive due to it.
All-electric cars MAY work, but the problem will be having “energy-stations” around the country, and also charging a vehicle quickly, like filling it up with fuel. An overnight charge will be no good for someone on a cross-country trip.
So, what will it be, and why?
I asked this in politics because it will be a BIG issue in a few years.
admin answers:
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Electric is the best choice, and I will show you exactly why. Much of the ‘anti-EV’ talk around here is based on 30-year old electric cars – but technology has not stood still.
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First, let’s dispense with hydrogen. Fuel cell cars are electric cars (including batteries, because fuel cells can’t make enough current for acceleration by themselves.) This means a fuel cell car will always be more expensive, and heavier, than a pure electric car. It will be more expensive to fuel as well, and more polluting (from the energy used to make hydrogen), because hydrogen is less efficient at storing energy than batteries. GM’s Sequel fuel cell car is nearly 5,000 pounds, heavier than any pure electric car (twice the weight of the Tesla electric sports car.)
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Electric vehicles are extremely efficient, and do not have to be expensive to buy. Take a look at this page about EVs you can find for as little as $5000:
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http://squidoo.com/cheap-electric-car
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If you want something better than a cheap EV, here’s the latest cutting-edge EV:
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http://zapworld.com/ZAPWorld.aspx?id=4560
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The ZAP-X outputs 644 horsepower, 155mph top speed, 350-mile range, charges in just 10 minutes, and has a 300,000 mile battery life. If EVs catch on, there will be 10-minute chargers at service stations, so we can take long trips.
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Or, with a 350-mile range, just pull into a hotel, and charge it from a wall plug while you sleep. Go more than 350 miles per day by charging it while you eat meals.
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I drive my electric car around for only about a penny per mile in electricity. High efficiency means more miles on less energy, which is why it’s so cheap to drive on electricity. It’s also why EVs make very little pollution, even if powerplants burn dirty fuel. But the best part is that a car-sized solar panel only costs about $1000. Put one up to help with charging, and your cost per mile – and pollution output – drops to almost ZERO. Name me another fuel that can beat that number.
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Jenny asks…
Does Anyone make Biodiesel?
im just looking for someone in my area (Corning, NY) that makes biodiesel and is willing to sell some by the barrals? there is no service station yet in my area that sells it and $3.60 is getting to be a pain for ULSDF “Ultra Low Sulfur Diesel Fuel.”
admin answers:
It is better to make it yourself. Check www.veggievan.org it is a good resource, if you like get the following book: From the Fryer to the Fuel Tank by Joshua Tickell. It tells you how to make bio diesel, how to run a diesel on a mix of kerosene and veg oil and how to run on undiluted veg oil. That is how I run my Schoolbus, which also is my home and veg oil works great. I have got a lot of free miles without polluting as much. As far as taxes are concerned, state laws vary and if you make your own bio diesel at home no one will know if it is storebought and the taxes are paid.
George asks…
What is the best way to beam energy into a rocket engine to increase thrust during launch using microwaves.?
If a rocket on a launch pad increases its temperature larger molecules can be used for fuel. Biodiesel is cheaper and has been used in previous launches. Transmitting energy to the rocket and using microwaves to heat up the reactions should improve thrust. Microwaves are used in space satelites to pressurize the gases prior to valves opening for station keeping operations.
The less mass a rocket has to shove into orbit the further it can go.
admin answers:
Add a laser beam and you have a masor
Mandy asks…
Why hasnt vegetable oil become the new fuel for our cars?
Ive heard about biodiesel fuel and how it is renewable and how cars can actually run on them. Why havnt we adopted this yet in our cars? Is it more expensive? Or do the oil companies making money off of gasoline making sure this doesnt happen? If thats true, then we should boycott gas stations and picket the governments of the WORLD so that they can incorparate vegetable oil from now on!
http://moneycentral.msn.com/content/savinganddebt/saveonacar/p115218.asp
admin answers:
There’s a good discussion on this subject here:
http://greenhome.huddler.com/forum/thread/266/debate-of-the-day-10-biodiesel-good-or-bad?replies=9
Basically in order to produce biodiesel or other biofuels, you need to grow crops for it. This increases demand for agricultural land, which causes forests and other CO2-absorbing land to be replaced by cropland. Land use change is the #1 largest single contributor to man-made global warming. So in many cases, biofuels do more harm than good.
Http://cait.wri.org/figures.php?page=World-FlowChart&view=100
That being said, there are certainly some cases where biofuels are good. For example, using waste vegetable oil (for example, from restaurants) as fuel is great, because that oil would have otherwise been wasted. There’s also the potential to use algae oil as a biofuel, which would also do a lot of good.
As for biodiesel, it just depends where it came from, and on a small scale it might be good. It won’t work on a large scale until we have a biodiesel source that can supply our needs without requiring large land use changes.
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