Date:         Tue, 22 Oct 2002 21:52:35 -0700
Reply-To:     Gary Liess <joyluck@SONIC.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Gary Liess <joyluck@SONIC.NET>
Subject:      Newbie - Turbo Diesel Power  global efficiency
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

Hi all, new to this great group. Noticed last week comments on Diesels and
their pollution. I run my 82 diesel vanagon on bio diesel, my 83 Mercedes
Benz and 87 Mercedes both on straight veggie oil. Anyone concerned about
diesel emissions can easily use bio diesel with no engine modification and
no effort. There is study after study that says bio diesel produces
significantly less pollution.  Here in northern Ca. we have lots of bio
diesel and straight veggie oil users, so many that we have formed two
co-ops, one for straight veggie and one for bio diesel. We get free unused
oil and the members all share in the work load and share information. I'm
working on the road tax issues right now as we are using free food products
(oil) to power our vehicles and pay no road tax (on the fuel) as the state
hasn't decided what to do yet.

I loved the comments from David Marshall in Canada, he understands that
this movement is good for all of us, less pollution and less dependence on
petroleum products from far far away. The exhaust smells pretty good, (I
love the smell of veggie oil in the morning).

Wade's questions were about bio diesel production and if its practical, it
is but it certainly isn't the solution to auto pollution but its a step in
the right direction, there is lots and lots of free oil around and anybody
can make bio diesel, its not that hard at all.

Bills had a comment about taking away land to grow oil instead of food. Its
estimated that by using used cooking oil and fallow cropland we could
produce about 15% of the annual diesel use. This is going to sound crazy
but the future of bio diesel will come from growing Algae. In a program
funded by the Dept. of Energy the National Renewable Energy Laboratory
found that algae produces 40 times as much oil as a canola plant does in
the same space.

I'm in the process of switching to a 1.9TD as soon as I find a decent
engine, also will swap to a air cooled trans. Once I get the new engine I
plan on running on straight veggie in the new and improved Vanagon, no
longer delegated to the right hand lane.

Gary Liess
Northern Ca.

82 diesel Vanagon
83 Mercedes Benz 300 CD
87 Mercedes Benz 190 D