As the summer months come thrusting upon us, we know of a few things that will remain certain – tourism will boom, ice cream sales will soar, and of course, quick to follow are always the gasoline prices. It’s almost as inevitable as the “death and taxes” mantra and with those 99-cent gallons seemingly distant on the horizon, many of us are left wondering if we’re ever going to see relief any time soon…
Mind you, the fact of the matter frankly is, “No, we’re not…” and when it all comes down to it, things are probably going to get considerably worse in the foreseeable future as supply and demand are no longer able to see eye-to-eye. I read somewhere last week a startling number that escapes me at this point, except to plague my mind with the concept that the Earth could very well run out of oil and natural gas yet within my own lifetime, if not at least by the time my children are brought into the forefront…and you know what? That’s kind of scary!!! The idea of our paying $3.00 / gallon or more at the pump, as frightening as it might sound, simply doesn’t stack up to the concept of not being able to get it altogether!
It’s because of thoughts like these that I’m always curious to hear what science and technology have to offer us as far as alternative energy sources for the future, and one article that I read this week in the local paper just goes to show you that at least some of us won’t be out hoofing it on the streets as our oil supplies come crashing to the ground…at least not as long as our appetites for fast food are still going strong…
Enter the greasemobile…powered by a diesel engine modified to run on disposed vegetable oil from the deep-fryers and cooking vats that crank out our nation’s supply of french fries day after day, the newfound vehicles offer an environmentally-friendly way to circumvent the pump altogether…and of course, the price tags that they bear – wallets are happy, Mother Earth is happy, and if you particularly like the smell of fish sticks, then chances are you’ll be quite pleased with the results as well! I’ll let you read more about the technology itself from the original story linked below, but basically the system works by starting the vehicle off of a standard diesel tank, then switching over to a separate grease tank once the oil has been heated enough to be of use to the truck’s engine…so while diesel fuel isn’t entirely removed from the equation, I’d be willing to bet that you won’t be filling up at the pump nearly as often as you used to!
Some questions that crossed my mind when I first read the article, and the answers that I’ve found:
What happens if you can’t find any grease?
Then you run off of traditional diesel fuel instead – a switch is installed so that the driver can flip between the two.
Where is all of this grease going to come from?
Well, right now the talk is to get it for free from area fast food joints because it’s easier than their having to pay to have it disposed…but obviously this won’t be the case as popularity increases. Right now, however, there can’t be more than a handful of these things in my own area, for example, and I’m sure that they’d be smart to work out agreements with the restaurants on getting “dibs” on the waste…
Does this only work for diesel engines?
Yes – it’s a specific of the way that the engine works internally…that I can’t describe…but the overall concept will only work with a diesel engine.
How much does it cost?
The kits appear to be available online starting at about $1000, although I’m sure that make and model have something to do with it.
Is the world around you forever going to smell like fried food after making the switch?
I hate to say it, but probably – they say that the emissions from these vehicles tends to take on the odors of whatever was cooked the most in your batch of oil on any given day. Not that the ever-imposing stench of hush puppies would get old after a while…
Of course, obviously this isn’t for everybody and contrary to how the article describes it, I can’t see selling the old lady on finally getting her Excursion or Expedition with the footnote that it has to be converted to run on veggie oil, but for the enthusiastic and environmentally concerned that are willing to spend a little extra time and effort to help save some energy, in theory it should help to cut down on their pocketbooks just as electric cars have already done so.
That having been said, I’m definitely curious to see where things go from here because hopefully this is only the beginning of our seeing some true innovation come to light as oil consumption becomes more and more of a concern worldwide. While it’s sometimes sad to see the state that things must get to before science steps up to the plate with an answer, the results themselves are pretty exciting to entertain…and if it requires my continuing commitment to the enjoyment of french fries in order to be successful, then I – for one – am proud to step up to the plate and do my part!
Related Links:
(I originally read about this story in the Tampa Tribune, but as their website is utterly useless and doesn’t have the article online a mere week after it printed, enjoy this similar piece from the San Luis Obispo Tribune instead…)
Make that a burger, fries and a tank full of grease
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/nation/11843078.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems
http://www.greasecar.com/
greasel.com
http://www.greasel.com/
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