Biodiesel Becoming Mainstream
Modern diesel engines are highly fuel-efficient, much quieter and peppier than you might think. An example is the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.
by Jacob Gordon of TreeHugger.com for MSN Autos
Now that people are finally catching on to biodiesel, more automakers are going to be offering more peppy, clean, and efficient diesels to Americans.
So there you are in the Toyota showroom, staring down a shiny Prius in Driftwood Pearl, and something just doesn't feel right. The time has come to start driving a car that's kinder to the planet, but this low-fat robotic insect with its keyless entry and Bluetooth interface isn't your vehicular soul mate. You also have no idea what Driftwood Pearl is except that having some could probably help with the monthly payments that would come along with a new hybrid.
Where's the hitch and the towing power, the stick shift, the flavor? And yes, the Prius' mileage is good, but for all its claims to eco-fame, this car is still burning petroleum, the stuff our president says we're addicted to.
Rudolph Diesel, an inventor and refrigerator engineer, was born in Paris, France almost 150 years ago. One of his early creations, an ammonia-powered steam engine, blew up in the laboratory and almost killed him. His next big invention blew up in a totally different way and made him a millionaire. Efficient diesel engines are now in use all over the world, but few of them run on the fuel that Mr. Diesel originally envisioned: vegetable oil. But they still can.
Biodiesel, the trade name for methyl esters, can run in any diesel engine with little or no modification. Biodiesel burns much cleaner than petrol-diesel, it's biodegradable and non-toxic, and can be made from vegetable crops, waste oil, and a growing list of sustainable sources. It is also "carbon-neutral," meaning that it puts no more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere than was absorbed by the plants from which it is made.
Most Americans can't picture themselves in a diesel car, but now that biodiesel is here to stay it could become a popular eco-option. One reason: the variety of car choices.
Buying on a budget? A few grand can get you into a solid 1980s Mercedes-Benz, and less than $10,000 can get you a post-2000 Volkswagen turbodiesel. Need towing power and cargo space? How about a Dodge pickup with a Cummins engine or a Ford F-250? And luxury: Will a Mercedes E-Class do? Modern diesel engines are highly fuel-efficient, much quieter and peppier than you might think, and notoriously powerful and durable (endurance titles are won by cars and trucks that run on diesel, not gasoline).
Where to Get Biodiesel
Biodiesel can now be pumped in various blends at stations in all 50 states, with the largest number clustered in the Midwest where soybeans are grown (the main crop used for biodiesel in the U.S.). An interactive map of biodiesel stations can be found at www.biodiesel.org, the Web site of the National Biodiesel Board. Drivers without a nearby station, or who want a higher blend, can look for a local distributor selling in bulk.
Until a local filling station in my area started carrying B99, I was having 55-gallon drums of pure biodiesel delivered to my house in Los Angeles, and I filled my 1981 Mercedes with a simple hand-cranked pump. This might strike some as cumbersome, but there was satisfaction in fueling up in my garage and never swiping my credit card. Now that I live in Nashville, the local Citgo that sells B20 for $2.99 has me covered for the time being.
Just a few years ago, the word biodiesel drew blank stares. But its spread in the U.S. has been staggering. According to the Biodiesel 2020 market study, "biodiesel consumption in the U.S. grew from 25 million gallons per year in 2004 to 78 million gallons in 2005," and the number of retail stations tripled during that time.
To meet this spike in demand, 50 new biodiesel plants are expected to come online in the U.S. alone between 2007 and 2008. With this growing demand and competition in the market, new manufacturing technologies are sprouting, and we can expect to see more biodiesel being brewed from algae cultures, more efficient crops, animal fats, and all sorts of waste grease.
The Cars
In Europe, diesels make up about half of the passenger cars on the road. In the U.S., they are still a small fraction, and the selection is dwarfed by that of gasoline cars. There are still quite a number of older diesels on American streets—many of them still going strong—but they are in increasingly high demand as people discover that they can run biodiesel and straight vegetable oil.
New cars, however, are another matter—although this is starting to change (see Diesels Going Green and Diesels in Demand?). Last June, the EPA mandated ultra-low sulfur diesel (ULSD) across the country. Automakers went back to the drawing board to optimize their engines for the new, cleaner fuel, sparking a new breed of vehicles for the American market.
Sitting on the cutting edge is Mercedes-Benz with its BLUETEC system. The E320 BLUETEC is Mercedes' initial offering—a powerful sedan with a 3.0-liter turbocharged V6. The E320 goes from 0-60 in around six seconds, has more torque than most gasoline V8s, releases very clean emissions and gets around 700 miles to a tank. Although Mercedes boasted that its BLUETEC vehicles would be "50-state ready," the E320 stills doesn't meet emissions standards in California, New York, Maine, Massachusetts and Vermont. Mercedes plans to bring BLUETEC to its M-Class, R-Class, and GL-Class in 2008, and anticipates availability in all 50 states.
Audi, Volkswagen, Jeep, Dodge and Honda are also going to be offering more peppy, clean, and efficient diesels to American drivers while striving to meet the tough new emissions standards. But ironically, even though more advanced diesels are hitting the market and biodiesel availability is spreading fast, car companies aren't bragging about the bio-compatibility of their autos—certainly not the way GM is touting ethanol in its FlexFuel lineup. Most major makers of diesel engines sold in the U.S. only officially approve the use of 5% biodiesel blends (or B5) and using blends above the approved level may threaten your warranty. Regardless, most fueling stations offering biodiesel sell B20 and many people also successfully use B99 and B100 in their cars and trucks.
Since the tide of diesel cars is rising in America, it wouldn't be surprising to see carmakers present their diesel models as not only efficient and clean, but biodiesel-ready, which would in turn spur the already amped-up market.
Turning the Key
So now you're back in the showroom—or maybe AutoTrader or the used-car lot. You've found something that truly fits and you know where your first tank of biodiesel is coming from. Maybe after filling up a couple times, your curiosity takes over and you pack the new car for its first long road trip—out to the refinery that brews your fuel, or maybe to the farm that grows the soybeans or canola. Driving home, you think, "isn't it funny that a technology invented over a century ago has come full circle…and doesn't a diesel engine make such a beautiful sound?"
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This story posted by LeaseTrader.com, the automotive service company that lets people transfer out of their Car Leases early. If you're looking to swap a lease or transfer out of your car lease, please visit www.leasetrader.com.
Print | posted on Tuesday, October 09, 2007 9:56 AM