Biodiesel Hybrid Vehicles?
I’ve been reading a lot about biodiesel lately (and listening to podcasts about it). Apparently, as long as you have a diesel engine and access to a biodiesel fueling station, you’re all set to go — you just have to be aware that gromets and other rubber components will break down faster using biodiesel so you may have to swap them out for more durable components, which I think would be rather cheap. Not bad for all the benefits that you get! Unfortunately for me, the nearest fueling station is 40 miles away, so it would be hard to justify the extra fuel used to, umm, get the fuel.
More about biodiesel! The amount of carbon dioxide converted into oxygen by the plants that will become your bio-fuel exceeds the amount of carbon dioxide that your vehicle will emit while burning those same plants. So the final outcome of the whole process is less carbon dioxide and more oxygen, and I don’t know about you but things here on earth are getting a bit stuffy, that’s why everyone’s so rude and grouchy all the time, especially in their Hummers and other various military-grade vehicles.
What I’m wondering is, has anyone thought of combining recent hybrid technologies (that utilize traditional gas engines with electric power) with biodiesel. The result would be a biodiesel/electric hybrid. Eh? Eh? Waddya think? Seems to me all the real legwork has already been done, they just need to smoosh the two together, like a Peanut Butter and Jelly and Banana Sandwich (PBJB). So Honda, if you’re reading this, commence smooshing please.
October 6th, 2005 at 12:31 pm
Been talking about it for years, but I finally met someone who’s actually making some of the stuff.
November 10th, 2005 at 4:33 pm
I agree. Diesel hybrids are already on the road as buses and trucks. Those can include 20% biodiesel with no problem. It looks like it might be as much as a decade before one of the major auto makers starts marketing a smaller vehicle though. The claim is that diesel adds a few thousand to the price up front, and so does hybrid tech. Of course, I would like to see plug-in tech added for crazy extra efficiency and cheapness.
A fellow in California is converting peoples’ cars to hybrid. I’ve been wondering if a similar business could be set up over here, doing hybrid biodiesel plug-ins. I bet some people would love it.
April 4th, 2007 at 9:36 am
Here’s a thought, converting electric cars to Biodiesel/electric hybrids by installing a small diesel generator in the truck to recharge the batteries while you drive. You might even add-on the type of solar voltaic cells being sold in Europe that are 4 times more efficient then whats sold in the US & can charge indoors & in cloudy & rainy conditions. These type of collectors are also as thin as a sheet of plastic, so no problem with aerodynamics. And has anyone thought of adding small wind turbine generators in the grill areas of electric cars to produce extra power as you drive? Add a plug-in & solar cells on the roof of your house or garage & I bet you’d get 200 plus MPG. Anyway, that’s my thought’s on the subject. Can’t imagine Detriot, the Oil Company’s or Congress would ever indorse these idea’s. Good Luck.