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Post by Feng on May 7, 2014 20:52:31 GMT 11
Do you have to modify your Hilux to make it run on waste vegetable oil? Do you have to do anything to the oil or do you just filter it out and pour it in? It sounds like a neat idea.
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Post by riddick on May 8, 2014 11:33:06 GMT 11
Do you have to modify your Hilux to make it run on waste vegetable oil? Do you have to do anything to the oil or do you just filter it out and pour it in? It sounds like a neat idea. Re veg oil, there are 2 ways you can do this: 1. modify the fuel to suit the car 2. modify the car to suit the fuel The first is called biodiesel and you have to use chemicals to turn veg oil into biodiesel. This is a lot of work and you use dangerous chemicals. The second is what I do, as you only have to do it once, then you just dump veg oil into your tank and off you go (after you filter it and settle it). I have now driven over 80,000kms on waste veg oil absolutely free of charge. My Leaf is actually expensive in consumption compared to my Hilux  . Actually not true, for short distances the Leaf is cheaper as my start up fuel is diesel and for long distances the Leaf is more expensive. We have driven up as far as the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne and back almost entirely on donated fuel. I think I have achieved the perfect combination in cars now and I am keeping my money to myself instead of donating it to oil companies... rofl. |
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Post by riddick on May 8, 2014 23:27:48 GMT 11
When I switched to veg oil I initially paid to get it from a fish and chips shop. Eventually word got around on what I do and these days people thank me when I remove their oil for free. For example last week I picked up 260 litres from a place, which would cost about $390 if it was diesel. Imagine walking into a petrol station, removing 260 litres of fuel, not paying and the staff would thank you on the way out...
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Post by Feng on May 12, 2014 16:00:44 GMT 11
When I switched to veg oil I initially paid to get it from a fish and chips shop. Eventually word got around on what I do and these days people thank me when I remove their oil for free. For example last week I picked up 260 litres from a place, which would cost about $390 if it was diesel. Imagine walking into a petrol station, removing 260 litres of fuel, not paying and the staff would thank you on the way out... My workmate who drives a diesel was curious about the sort of mileage you get running off waste vegetable oil. How old is your Hilux? When it's time to replace my Honda I'm tossing up between an MX-5 or a diesel SUV and if I end up getting an old bomb I'd consider experimenting with it. |
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Post by riddick on May 12, 2014 20:31:24 GMT 11
Mileage does not really matter when you have free fuel . But to answer your question, it is the same as diesel. In fact, veg oil is supposed to have higher energy content then mineral diesel. You need an old engine to do this (at least 10+ years), anything common rail will not work. |
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Post by Jim Hare on May 13, 2014 10:13:00 GMT 11
From a green point of view, how do emissions compare? Does it exhaust a confusing scent of fish and chips or does it pollutant the same as petrol/diesel?
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Post by riddick on May 13, 2014 21:54:01 GMT 11
It definitely smells different behind my truck. Friends often commented that they get hungry driving behind me :-) The best I can compare it to is a Chinese kitchen where oil is burning in a wok. It is a much more pleasant smell then diesel.
Emissions can be argued many ways, just like with EVs. The main argument goes like this:
Running on veg oil is carbon negative. This is because:
1. The CO2 from burning the veg oil is not released from oil deposited millions of years ago, but it is made from current crops. Hence this is a sustainable process.
2. The current crops capture more carbon then gets released from burning the oil made from them. The left over is turned back into soil etc with the carbon captured.
The problem with argument 1 is that it is fine the way I use it, but it is not going to scale to the entire population due to the lack of land, the ever increasing food production needs for an ever increasing population.
The source of all problems is the ever increasing population, IMHO. I remember learning at school that there are 4 billion people. A few decades on, we are 7 billion now. This is crazy... We need to stop producing ever more babies as a source of economic growth. Just look at the current Australian government incentives as well, more money for making babies, but less money to educate them.
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Post by Brian on May 25, 2014 19:28:02 GMT 11
Wholeheartedly agree with your last paragraph. The problem is that the whole current Keynsian system of economics is predicated on growth. And yet ' Infinite growth on a finite planet is not possible '. Imagine the benefits of a reducing population - the roads would be less congested, demand for real estate would reduce, hence our kids / grandkids would actually be able to afford to buy a house. Sure the banks might have some stranded assets in mortgages . . . but serves 'em right for investing in coal and other fossil fuels. |
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. Actually not true, for short distances the Leaf is cheaper as my start up fuel is diesel and for long distances the Leaf is more expensive. We have driven up as far as the Sunshine Coast from Melbourne and back almost entirely on donated fuel. I think I have achieved the perfect combination in cars now and I am keeping my money to myself instead of donating it to oil companies... rofl.
