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Greenlings: What is biodiesel?

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:57:00 +0000

What is biodiesel? In short, biodiesel is a fuel that’s suitable for use in diesel engines that is not based on petroleum. Biodiesel is often made from plant sources. It’s also possible to mix biodiesel with petroleum-based diesel fuel in any ratio. Since most any engine designed to run on diesel fuel can use biodiesel, it would seem that this biofuel could displace a great deal of fuel pumped from the ground. In some cases, it is possible to run diesel engines on straight vegetable oil (often referred to as SVO or WVO), but SVO isn’t the same as biodiesel. There is a bunch of complex chemistry that goes into producing biodiesel from many different sources, and it all has to do with the transesterification of fats and oils. Excuse me? Transester-huh? Yeah, it’s about as complicated as it sounds, but the really short version of the story is that alcohol (methanol, ethanol etc.) is used to modify the chemical makeup of the original oil. Now that we’ve identified what biodiesel is and isn’t, let’s discuss why you should care and whether you can use it in your own vehicle. Car Blog Greenon. Gallery: Austin Alt Car: Biofuel Hummer Continue reading Greenlings: What is biodiesel? Auto Blog: Biodiesel , AutoblogGreen Exclusive , Green Daily Greenlings: What is biodiesel? originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Greenlings: What is biodiesel?

Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:10:00 +0000

According to a report on Autocar , Gordon Murray has received interest from over a dozen international companies that are interested in setting up franchises to sell the innovative T25 city car . Interestingly, very few of the interested parties are actual established automakers. That’s a good thing according to Murray, who says, “Our theories and processes are ideal for investors with a clean slate who are getting into cars for the first time.” Design and engineering work on the T25 is apparently now finished. Selected companies will create iStream factories that are set up to assemble the little cars and are supposed to be one-fifth the size of conventional auto factories. The same basic platform, complete with a gas-powered three-cylinder powerplant driving the rear wheels, will be able to accommodate such diverse vehicles as a passenger car, a pickup truck and an MPV. Click here to see a few shots of the T25 shrouded in a black cloak. See more shots of the T25 after the jump. Gallery: Gordon Murray T.25 teaser shots [Source: Autocar ] Continue reading Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car Auto Blog: Manufacturing/Plants , Lightweight , UK Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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Design and engineering complete on Gordon Murray’s T25 city car

2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel

admin — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 09:20:00 +0000

Click the Jettas for a high res gallery from VIRginia International Raceway Volkswagen’s Jetta TDI Cup series will be returning to the racetracks of North America at the end of April with 30 diesel-powered sedans in the hands of young up and coming drivers. For this year’s sophomore season Volkswagen will be filling the tanks of the Jettas with B5 biodiesel. Houston, Texas-based Hyperfuels will be supplying the 5 percent biofuel blend for the cars which will consume about two tankfuls of fuel over the course of 10 races. The Syndiesel supplied by Hyperfuels has a 10 year shelf life addressing one of the biggest issues with some biodiesels, the tendency to go rancid after a period of time in storage. Volkswagen has approved B5 for use in all regular production diesel VW and Audi models. Just as it did last year, the Jetta TDI cup kicks off at VIRginia International Raceway April 24-26. Gallery: First Jetta TDI Cup race [Source: Volkswagen] Continue reading 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Diesel , Volkswagen , Racing 2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Thu, 26 Feb 2009 10:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds .Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green | Car Blog Green

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2009 Jetta TDI Cup to run on B5 biodiesel

Australian biofuel imports hurting SE Asian rainforests

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:44:00 +0000

Auto Blog: Biodiesel , Ethanol , Pacific Region Photo of “Australia” by reinn . Licensed under Creative Commons license 2.0. As anyone who has seen episode 2F13 of The Simpsons (aka Bart vs. Australia ) knows, introducing foreign species into an environment can have dangerous effects. A real-world situation – not really all that similar, but I like to reference the Simpsons whenever possible – in Australia shows the sad connection between environmental destruction and the way some biofuels are produced. The Australian reports that Australia’s large-scale biofuel imports are exacerbating the “widespCar Blog Greendestruction of tropical rainforests in Indonesia and Malaysia.” Orangutans and other endangered species are directly affected by the deforestation, but cheap biodiesel from Southeast Asia remains popular Down Under. Australia has dealt with the negative effects of growing crops for biofuels by banning two types of plants that had been intended for biofuel production in 2006 because of fears they would turn invasive. Therefore, domestic production is now mostly limited to companies that use tallow and recycled cooking oil as the feedstock. For now, according to one source, Australia remains the “dumping ground for palm oil-based biodiesel.” Looks like Better Place , the evMe and the Holden Volt can’t come soon enough. [Source: The Australian ] Australian biofuel imports hurting SE Asian rainforests originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 15:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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$10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:58:00 +0000

Auto Blog: EV/Plug-in , Ford 2008 marked the first time in history that lots of people started thinking seriously about converting cars to electric drive. But it certainly wasn’t the first time such conversions were offered. In the wake of the first Middle East oil embargo in the mid-seventies, there were plenty of conversions advertised, including one for the Pinto in this 1976 ad from Special Interest Autos magazine. One of the issues with electric cars has always been cost and this 30-year-old Pinto conversion is no exception. The cost of a Pinto new at that time was probably less than $3,000 and $10,000 was a lot for any car. It’s not clear how many of these electric Pintos were ever built, but at least it wouldn’t have an exploding gas tank. Of course, there’s no guarantee that a Pinto loaded with lead-acid batteries is any safer. [Source: Hemmings Auto Blogs ] $10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976 originally appeared on AutoblogGreen on Mon, 26 Jan 2009 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green|Car Blog Green

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$10,000 for a Pinto? The cost of going electric in 1976