
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.