While automakers are slowly coming around to alternative fuels, hundreds of companies are jumping into the alternative fuel niche with conversion kits. These kits allow consumers to turn their gas-guzzling vehicles into testaments to sustainable fuels. You should examine alternative fuels like ethanol, propane and vegetable oil carefully before pursuing conversion kits.
Flex Fuel US and other innovative businesses have created conversion kits to take advantage of America’s ethanol craze. Flex Fuel’s conversion kit allows any driver to switch between ethanol and traditional fuel with proper installation. This kit can accommodate gasoline, E10, E20 and E85 fuels for drivers who want to mix up their fuel options.
Hendrix Industrial Gastux Inc. has developed compressed natural gas (CNG) and propane conversion kits for dozens of vehicle makes and models. The Hendrix website cites the high price of gasoline, the nontoxic nature of propane and the myth of propane going up in flames when selling these kits. While these kits are designed for easy installation, Hendrix and other companies recommend installation through their facilities for proper placement of gas tanks.
The advent of vegetable oil kits by companies like Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems comes from one part ingenuity and one part necessity. As Americans continue to flock to fast food restaurants and drive-throughs, we have a surplus of spent oil that needs to be disposed. Regional kit retailers from coast to coast have joined Greasecar in using vegetable oil as a fuel source. The Greasecar kit works solely with diesel engines but is touted as a clean fuel source that can be sustained into the future.
Innovators have knocked around these alternative fuel sources for years as gas prices have increased. You should be careful to determine the legitimacy of the kit provider as well as the science behind the technology before buying a conversion kit. Unless you have experience with auto maintenance, you may need to search for a mechanic willing to install your conversion kit. In the end, you may be best served by testing out a conversion kit on an older vehicle you use around town. Your excursions to the grocery store, dry cleaner and other places can demonstrate the reliability of converted vehicles before switching wholesale to propane, ethanol and other fuels.
Wow…I had no idea that technology had come so far as to allow for alternative fuel conversion kits. This has piqued my interest, and I intend to do a little investigating.
If my current vehicle used more gas, then I would consider it. But I have a small light car that doesn’t use as much gasoline as my former car… so I’ll wait and buy a hybrid in the next 5 or 7 years.
We ell conversion kits for regular gas to E85 that take about 8 minutes for a 4cyl. and about an hour for a V12. You don’t need to do computer remapping or anything. You fill up your car with E85 or regular and keep driving.
What we need is a hybrid flex fuel conversion kit – electric, gas, and ethanol. Otherwise you’re just switching from cocaine to crack. Both will kill you.
Hmmm… TheAngryRabbit is right! I didn’t think of this, but it is true. Probably it is something to be consider for next generation of vehicles.
For optimum performance on a typical piston driven engine, you will need a different compression ratio for each type of fuel you’re planning on using. How are you going to surmount that obstacle?
Arvin, the technology already exists and is proven:
Ford Hybrid Flex Fuel Vehicle: http://tinyurl.com/6c56vg
(runs electric, gas, ethanol, gas-ethanol mix)
Hybrid Technologies: http://tinyurl.com/5lyw4j
(120+ mpc all-electric)
We just need to mandate automakers do it. We could be running hybrid flex fuel vehicles that get nearly 200 miles per charge plus the mileage of the gas-ethanol engine.
Angry Rabbit- Great information. Hybrid-flex is the way to go. These vehicles should be FLOODING the market… we shouldn’t have to go around begging for them.
Once there was a despicable little creep running Germany. He did have 1 good idea; the ”people’s car” aka der Volswagen. As I watch our country struggle w/pollution, dependence on foreign fuel sources, massive lay-offs, and the loss of any viable manufacturing base, I wonder if what we need right now is our own, domestically built domestically built ”people’s car”. It would have to be environmentally sound, use renewable energy, be inexpensive to purchase and operate, and safe. Since it seems that low income Americans, w/minimal credit are the ones most often forced to get by w/large, carbon spewing gas hogs, a program would need to be developed to insure that EVERY American could afford one, either through tax and other financial incentives or by no/low interest loans. I would suggest that the 1st model be a plug-in Electric City Car, and the 2nd to be set up as a type of hybid to enable longer range use. Such a progam would cut pollution and our massive trade deficit, as well as provide living-wage employment in manufacturing, servicing, and providing the infrastructure these vehicle would require.
Amen, I think the reason cars such as the Hybrid-flex are not flooding the market is because it all boils down to profit. I am sure that these could be in production and still make a profit just not the kind of profit the manufactures want to make.
I like the idea of recycling the fast food vegetable oil. If it works and is efficient, I think it should definitely being pushed into the market.
Grease cars are an excellent way to get around, however, used veggie oil, when compared to US fuel demands, will only be truly practical for those who are able and willing to develope the means & skills to process it for personal use. A short time ago the feds were touting the use of corn based ethanol as the salvation to our dependence on foreign oil. In their rush to come up w/a quick & simple fix, they completely ignored the social and economic impact of using food for fuel. The idea was immediately picked up by members of congress from corn producing states as a means of pushing huge amounts of ”Goverment funds” (can you say taxpayer rip-off?) to farm lobby supporters. The fact that the US corn industry is dependent on large quantities of fossil based products for everything from farm equipment and fertilizer to the millions of barrels of oil required to distribute the actual fuel was never mentioned by these half-wits. Corn for fuel would only truly benefit the same greedy scum who currently take billions in ”farm subsidies” to produce NOTHING. While bio-fuels will have to be a major part of any energy policy, we (the People) will have to be extremely diligent in making sure that programs put forth as ”Energy Solutions” are not facades designed to loot the economy to benefit a few well-connected special intrests. Personally, I will continue pushing for laws & policies that will encourage more use of NEV & LSV plug-in electrics in urban & short distance transportation. No-one need a 3.500 lb SUV to go grocery shopping. One of the primary conditions of any use of public funds needs to be that the ”solutions” (vehicles/fuel/infrastructure) be based w/in the US, employing American workers, and not a way to help US mfgr’s build more foreign production facilities, and further massive trade deficits importing more crap from Communist China’s gov’t subsidized industries.
Hey Debrajean, did you see the news story of the people who drove across country using a vehicle powered by spent cooking oil? I forget if it was in Canada or the US, but it was impressive. They had to communicate ahead so the restaurants would retain the grease for them, rather than throwing it out. Do you think that the trend to eat more healthy would mean less of this oil being available?
Many in India have converted their car to CNG from the conventional fuel and most have a positive thing to say about it….the only problem is their are not many filling stations of cng which creates long queues and a little inconvenience….
@NW Enviro-Looney: I agree with you 100%. In the developing world, we have the problem of corruption. In America, you have the problem of lobbyists. I hope that the new government will rise above this perennial problem.
@Clement:The corporate lobbyist/big$ system in Washington, along w/its legestative brother, earmarks, have left the American people w/a government as corrupted and amoral as any on Earth. While I am overjoyed to see that coniving little weasle G W Bush leave the white house, it will be decades, if ever, before the damage the arrogant little prick brought about can be repaired. While we have some of the best and brightest inovators and production workers in the world, the ”fair trade” policies of both political parties have badly crippled our ability to actually produce the things we are talking about here, that I am very concerned that the vast majority of ”clean” transportation will come from countries where industry is anything BUT clean. The Wal-mart mentallity of corporate America will mean that even ”American” vehicles will not be built in America, by American workers, using domestically sourced materials. Witness ”American” auto-maker Ford’s dealer lots full of Mexi-cars,( The Fucus) even as they demand more of your tax dollars to save them from their own stupidity. Have our so-called ”representatives” in DC even thought about who will be building these vehicles. My guess is; not me, not my unemployed neighbors, and not you. It seems as if We, the People, will continue to be screwed by Wall St and corporate America, and their despicable stooges in ”our” (Ha!) government.
Sorry about the rant, but when I see how the people who built this country are being screwed by these pukes, it makes me a tiny bit nuts. ……and NOW some ”good” news.. The govm’t ”Bail-out” legislation (HB 1424)is now Public Law #110-343. There are some Very good Tax credits available for purchasing Plug-in EVs. They could defray up to 50% of the initial cost of the vehicle ($2.500+) w/a formula that would yeild a total credit of approx $4,000) on a 72Volt. The IRS form is #8910. This is the same form as the Hybrid Tax Credit of 2007. You will have to look carefully for a vehicle built in the US. Remember, the Credit $ come out of OUR pockets, so use them to keep your neighbors working!
@ Clement. I attempted to reply to your entry yesterday. For some unknown reason my reply has not appeared, possibly due to length or to some less-than flattering jabs @ lobbyists and political figures. I have not recieved any communication from HybridMile as to why this occured. Hopefully, in the spirit of freedom of expression, I will be allowed to resubmit my reply (w/any editing deemed appropriate).
A conversion kit will be the way I have to go since a new car is beyond my budget. It’s good to know there are so many options. A lot of people think that you either have to make you own biodiesel or buy a brand new electric hybrid.
I heard someone is using saw dust as fuel for his truck…is it really a feasible option….
Atula, I wonder how saw dust could be used as a fuel? It sounds really far-fetched to me, and even if it were an option I assume it would threaten plenty of trees unless a significant amount of saw dust could be salvaged from the existing lumber industry.
Atula; Maybe sawdust as a source of wood alcohol???? Sawmill waste is already used for numerous products, and rarely ends up in landfills, so Taggart makes a good point
Angry Rabit, just because the technology exists does not mean that it is proven. It takes years of actual experience to really prove a product. I have been around batteries in my line of work -medical equipment-for years and have experienced many failures. Even supposedly good developed cars like Toyota whatevers end up with recalls.
All though good in theory, in reality, this kind of stuff ends up turning out to be a cost prohibitive solution in the final outcome. Lithium Ion batteries aren’t cheap. -Especially the kind that are used in space craft. Now what happens when in my part of the country I have another encounter with a deer and my lithium ion batteries and it’s guts are co mingled all over the highway? What do you think the cost of initial insurance will be? This car from the beginning will be a high dollar item and it will carry with it a high dollar insurance. With so many people loosing their jobs now, who do you think is going to afford the car or the insurance?
When products are tested for reliability, they are subjected to high teperature, cold temperature, vibration and all kinds of stress in order to try to predict the outcome of life cycle on the car. But the life cycle on a car’s realistic value cannot be possibly predicted because there are too many confounding factors at hand. Some of these confounding factors are the drunk driver or the idiot at the grocery store who slams into your car and never owns up to it. But probably the worst confounding factor is the crap economy right now where financial weapons of mass destruction are wrecking our country. These weapons of financial destruction happened when certain political powers promised homes for everybody for people who could’t afford them. This socialism has failed during FDR’s time as well as Truman’s and will be failing us now as our country tries to spend itself into oblivion and produce alternative energy vehicles.
Mandating automakers to just do it is stupid. Don’t you think that automakers would automatically begin production on such systems if they could see profitability? Do you think that their marketing studies shows that most people want a vehicle that will haul all their junk when they want to go visit grandpa and grandma? Do you think that they want something that won’t fall apart when they’re trying to haul some construction materials to remodel a room on the house or a back yard project for those who still do a little of their own farming?
These little cars offer little for the person that wants to go camping with the family.
I have personally been around my father’s work with alternative fuel engines. I am experienced with natural gas and propane as well as E85. My original concern about alternative fuels have to do with the concept of trying to run an engine on so many different fuels. Optimization with so many different fuels becomes nearly impossible. Yes, they will work somewhat but to optimize the engine performance for such an illogical design is impractical and unreasonable.
As far as I am concerned, electric powered vehicles might be OK on a golf course but I’d have to see actual case histories to believe that they could be practical for most individuals.
A multi fuel engine was developed years ago on a turbine type engine like used for jet engines. It was scrapped because of innefficiency. Yes, it used many different kinds of fuels but when compared to a regular engine it was just plain inefficient.
Light weight, higly efficient, vehicles sound great on paper but when you take into consideration, the reliability, you can definitely have some problems.
Let me cite another example for all the people who are loving the high efficiency energy star rated appliances such as freezers and refrigerators. Do you know what the life cycle on these new items are? Ask most repairmen and they’ll tell you about 10 years. Do you know what the life cycle on the older appliances was ? 20-30 years. I know because I have an old Ammana freezer from the mid 70s that’s still running. I’m not saying I won’t buy a new freezer. But I will be very concerned about the life cycle expectancy on that new purchase. One of the things that has happened with the computer age is the minimizing of design margins so that the lifecycle becomes vastly shortened on many products. The Ford Taurus made in the mid 90s is an excellent example. Somehow, design margins were so minimized that cylinder heads on those vehicles were habitually failing. Look at the auction sites and you’ll never see so many Ford Taurus as there was then during the mid 90s. My friend bought a Taurus. My parents bought a Taurus. They were all a piece of crap. They may have been proven in the engineering room and maybe some even limited testing but they failed the actual usage on the road. Breaches in the head gasket caused engine failures of massive proportions and expense to the consumer.
@Arvin; Lots of valid points…. However, as far as the US automakers go, didn’t Ford find it more ”profitable” to keep selling Pinto death traps and pay off the claims than fix the defects? Capitalism, w/out ethics or common sense is a horrible way to run a country. Americans have been buying/driving smaller, better milage cars for a long time while Detroit decided that it was more ”profitable” to spend millions [billions?] on advertising to push oversized, ugly, poor quality, gas guzzling junk. They put short-term profit ahead of long-term investment in developing the kinds of vehicles that we will need in the future, & now they want billions of Taxpayer $ from the same people they sold this garbage to. When the ”BIG [but not so bright]3” come out with a slightly more appropriate vehicle, they give us crap like the Ford FukUS, a Mexi-car that does nothing for the American worker or ecomomy. Who do they think will buy them? I believe that we need a 1st-to-the-moon type of program. The Volkswagen [the People's Car] was the car that helped Germany get back on track after WWII. It was a ”mandated” [by the well known Commie-pinko Adolf Hitler]. By focusing on building a reliable, low maintenance, car that ALL Germans could afford, they brought their country back to the economic and social country they now have. 1 model; [the bus came later] No options, plain Jane looks, & no useless annual ”Styling” changes, was what they offered, and it was a hit all over the world. What I believe we need now is a clean,reliable,urban personal vehicle that ALL Americans can afford. Personally, I love my ’39 & ’52Ford trucks, as well as my ’64 Lemans, but I DON’T need them to go to work, church, visit friends, or a trip to the store. They are a hobby; a luxury that I couldn’t afford to drive all the time, and wouldn’t really want to. I will likely let them go soon, when I am able to find a quality, US built, Plug-in EV. US built [because I want my fellow citizens to be able to feed & educate their families], & EV so my Grandkids can breath clean, healthy air. With a decent EV, once my ”toys” are gone, I will easily be able to rent an econo-box car for any trips out of EV range. Close down the out sourced production facilities; Sell the US auto plants to the workers & unions. They actually KNOW what their neighbors need & want. Expectng that the same idiots that destroyed our auto industry can fix it if we just give them a few hundred million taxpayer dollars, is like throwing money at bankers & Wall Street, and expecting that they will fix the housing crisis! Who would be that stupid??????
It’s great that there’s so much discussion about alternate energy sources now, but it’s unfortunate that the economy is like this because I’m sure it will deter lots of people from making a change.
Help me with my homework the question is ”Should the United States look for alternate ways of developing fuel for cars?” What’s the answer or some ideas that can support this essay.