Filed under: Biodiesel, Diesel, Green Culture, Vegetable Oil, Volkswagen
Jim (Norman) and Ginger (Gordon) are not your average (meek) Americans who complain about fuel prices but don’t do anything about it. About a year ago, they decided to stop depending solely on petroleum for transportation. They sold their used minivan and bought a used Volkwagen Jetta TDI with more mileage on it than the van. Then they took it to MA to be modified to run on WVO – Waste Vegetable Oil. When the vehicle emerged from the shop it was no longer a Volkswagen. It was a VolksVegan!
I spoke with Jim and he told me about the progress they have made with the “Vegan.” No engine problems. New friends, both on the web and in the neighborhood. Local sources of WVO which, I am proud to say, I contributed to by my own eating habits.
With what they have spent and learned about vegan driving, they are ready to convert another Volkwagen. Both vehicles can still run on petro or biodiesel if WVO is not available but WVO is clearly the fuel of choice.
To Jim and Ginger, this is not a matter of saving money. At this point it has cost them more than it has saved. No, this is about saving the environment and who it is that gets the money they spend on fuel. The vegan equipment they bought is mostly made and installed in the USA and the WVO they have consumed would have ended up in a landfill had they not used for fuel instead.
There is not enough WVO in the country to fuel many diesel engines but there is enough to prove that resourceful Americans don’t have to wait till the hydrogen economy comes to wean themselves almost completely off petroleum.
Look for future reports on the VolksVegan on ABG.
[Source: GreaseCar]
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