Ten Things I’ve Learn About Driving A Car Powered by Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO)

What makes a seemingly rational guy, who can afford to drive pretty much whatever car he wants to, trade in his shiny, new Audi for a 27-year old Mercedes 240D that runs on waste or straight vegetable oil (WVO/SVO)?  Well, in my case, someone took the time to call me out on my level of willingness to make a difference–or at least try to.

In late 2007, my partner and I took on a brand development project for a fledgling, Washington DC-based hybrid limousine company. These guys were not only driven by a real desire to reduce their industry’s carbon footprint, but also to engage with the theoretical decision makers on Capital Hill. Every week, we’d be on these long conference calls, where I would inevitably begin to complain about the escalating price of gasoline and the perils of foreign oil dependency.  Finally, one of these brave entrepreneurs told me to shut up and do something about.

As with all my Gas 2.0 articles, I feel compelled to readdress the fact that prior to my grease car adventure, I had absolutely no experience working on cars, and still, to this day, have only a very basic understanding of what makes them go. While not particularly proud of this lack of “gear-headedness”, I think it’s important to know that you don’t have to be a full-on car geek to pull off some good results using WVO/SVO as an everyday fuel source.

So here are the top ten things I’ve learned in the past year. Please remember, this is just one man’s opinion, based on the real-life experience of saving approximately $2,600.

1. Don’t over-think it. I know from many of the comments I receive here (often angry) that you may feel compelled to do tons of research on veggie-powered cars, fuel filtering, the pros and cons of the different conversions kits, and on and on and on. Go ahead and do your due diligence. There are a lot of great resources to explore (including of course, this site), and I urge you to check them all out. But please, don’t let your research keep you from taking the plunge. I meet roughly a dozen people a month that are in some perpetual phase of “research”. Sadly, most of these folks will never make the switch to WVO.

2. Line up your grease supply before you buy or convert your car.  Sounds silly, but a lot of people skip this step and end up scrambling for a consistent fuel source. Most of us know at least one person who owns or manages a restaurant, diner, or pub.  If you don’t, now is the time to befriend the guy who owns your local fish n’ chips joint.  Here in the East, most restaurants still pay to get their used fryer grease hauled away. Out West, as bio-diesel becomes more readily available, the opposite is the case. Rendering companies are now, in some cases, paying the restaurants for their surplus oil, so lining up your suppliers becomes even more critical.  I met with two local restaurant owners from places I eat at frequently to arrange picking up my grease about a month before I even got my car.

3. Get a car that’s right for you. You’ve got your grease, now you’ll need a car.  Only a diesel will do for WVO/SVO.  If fact the original fuel used by Rudolf Diesel when he first unveiled his newfangled contraption was rapeseed oil.  In most cases, older cars seem to work better for WVO conversions, which is why a fair share of the WVO/SVO cars on the road today are older Mercedes or VW’s.  However, many newer model diesel cars and trucks make great candidates for conversion — just be careful of warranty and compatibility issues. Most importantly, you should determine what level of creature comforts you’ll demand from your car, especially if it is your daily driver. My rig, being the ancient relic it is, has no A/C, no radio, no interior lights, no airbags, and no anti-lock brakes.  Those things are all great, but I quickly found I didn’t need them. You may require more amenities, especially in the safety department, and that’s fine. Get yourself something made in then nineties or, better yet, in this century.  My wife won’t event get behind the wheel of my grease car, which can and has caused its fair share of issues. She doesn’t feel safe in my pre-airbag beauty. She’s also not used to the incredible lack of horsepower that running an already dog-like diesel car on grease generates. She just doesn’t like the feeling of having to “Fred Flintstone-it” in my 240D.  My next WVO car will certainly be a newer model.  And remember, converting a new diesel car will surely result in a voided warranty. Do that at your own risk. Ebay is a good place to start looking for previously converted diesel cars.

4. Single or Double Tank? WVO conversions typically come in two varieties–single or double tank. Single tanks conversions kits are rather simple in their operation. Grease, diesel, or biodiesel can all be added to the tank in any combination, free to happily slosh around and commingle as they see fit.  The fuel is pumped through a heated filter, where it achieves a viscosity akin to regular dino-diesel before it hits the fuel injectors.   Sounds simple because it is. The drawback to this system is that it is definitely not winter-friendly, which is why you rarely see these single-tankers on the East Coast. However, I chose this to use this system and, with the exception of two or three very cold days (sub-5 degrees), have had little trouble with my fuel freezing.

Double-tank conversions require a secondary tank in the trunk to hold your vegetable oil. The car is started on regular diesel while heating coils get your veg oil warmed up. When the oil reaches the appropriate temperature, you switch over to the grease. When it’s time to stop driving, you switch back to diesel to “flush” your engine clean. Too much work for me, but some folks swear by it.

5. Filtering your grease. There is a ton of controversy regarding how to manage your fuel. This perceived work is what stops many would-be greasers from taking the plunge. Again–keep it simple. Here is my weekly routine.  Pour the WVO through a 5 micron sock filter into a 55 gallon plastic drum. Let it sit for a day, and pump it into my car. No heating, no prolonged resting period. I just concentrate on getting the really nasty food bits out.  The water, being heavier that the oil, will settle to the bottom all on its own. I use a simple 12 volt fuel transfer pump that I bought online from a farm supply store for around $80. In fact, my total investment in fuel-related gear was about $250.

6. You will ruin some clothes. If you are a suit guy (I am), you will eventually destroy some clothes (I have).

7. Keep lots of cardboard around. Even the most careful person is bound to spill some oil…lots of it.  If you pick up your oil in bulk from a restaurant rather than in the 5 gallon cubes it originally came in (as pictured here), lay down plenty of cardboard so you don’t spill grease all over the restaurant’s parking lot. This is a sure way to tick off your supplier and put an end to your free fuel.

8. Time vs Money. Decide what your time is worth to you. We all have our time/value equation. Whether you’re a plumber, doctor, cashier, or whatever, there is usually a fixed value to your time. With a grease car, you will no longer pay for fuel at the pump like you did before. However, you will probably spend a few hours a week gathering, filtering, and pumping your grease.  Do the math. Figure out if this is worth your time. For some of us, there is more to it than the cash we save at the pump. Although that’s pretty good too.

9. You will meet and interact with some strange and wonderful people. Everyone will want to know how the hell a car can run on vegetable oil. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, will be to stand there in the parking lot, smile politely, and explain to complete strangers why you’ve chosen this unusual path.

10. Ask for help. There are dozens of great resources (here for instance) to gather all the information, and then some, that you’ll ever need to make the WVO leap.  You’ll find that most greasers are very willing to help point you in the right direction.

Now go for it.

Source: GO Media - Written by John Rarrick