Grease Your TDI
May 7, 2006 – 10:10 pm by Matt Radel
Filed under Cool Stuff, Rants
Feed your TDI it’s veggies and fatten your wallet.
Gas prices have topped out well over 3 bucks a gallon throughout the nation and oil company executives are pocketing record profits. Meanwhile, government officials are slowly investigating possible price gouging as we attempt to stretch our dollars further to accommodate our travel necessities. While I’m pretty pissed off about this, I think it can have a positive impact on the search for alternative fuel sources and influence consumers to re-evaluate their driving and living habits (it could also shrink the doughnut around many of our large cities where people drive more than a half hour into work from the suburbs).
But what’s a guy to do? Gripe to his buddies around the water cooler? Drop some coin on a hybrid (but it wouldn’t be a VW and we can’t even truly consider that)? Sit around and wait for the government to deliver on hydrogen? Maybe it’s best to just ditch gasoline entirely…for vegetable oil.
Well, waste vegetable oil to be exact. It’s a renewable resource that’s readily available and incredibly abundant. It also drastically reduces toxic emissions and fuel costs. That’s why companies like Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems are gaining a foothold as a real fuel alternative. For about $795, you can convert your passenger diesel fueled car or truck into a “greasecar” and loosen the evil oil companies’ clutches on your wallet. You can install the system yourself or have a greasecar expert do it for you. It’s added to your existing diesel system (diesel fuel is still required to start up the car) so you can run it with veggie oil or gas. Finding the fuel might be the real pain though, as you’ll have to develop a relationship with a local restaurant to get your oil. However, this is a waste product that all restaurants have and they pay a disposal fee to get rid of it. They should be more than happy to work out a deal with you.
The system has been installed in hundreds of TDIs already, with no performance issues. The site even offers several pictures and stories of real greasecar owners. You can even order your very own greasecar apparel. A fella has even done an ‘06 Jetta.
Will greasecars really change the automotive industry? I think it’s too early to tell exactly what kind of impact they’ll have, but I am happy about the press they’re getting these days. Regardless, as the oil companies continue to line their pockets by choking the American consumer, we’ll only have to get more creative about alternative fuels. What’s that old saying? Necessity is the mother of innovation? Only time will tell. I think it’d hilarious if vegetable farmers became the new oil tycoons.
Grease Your TDI
May 7, 2006 – 10:10 pm by Matt Radel
Heck yeah man. I am very seriously considering a TDI as my next VW if things continue the way they are. And I WILL do this conversion. :D You’re absolutely right. Necessity is the mother of invention, and I hope the current oil industry conditions and the media force the manufacturers’ hands into providing, and pushing, alternative fuels on a level far greater than is currently done.
Plus, maybe I can tap my past relationship as a Wendy’s Restaurant manager for my fuel source. hahahahah
Future reference: diesel should not be referred to as “gas” :]
Also: the more generally accepted nomenclature for this type of fuel is “bio-diesel.”
Didnt know that diesel was still required on start up though… that kinda sucks. I would imagine that will no be a necessity in the future.
Oh, one more thing: apparently the exhaust on bio-diesel vehicles that obtain their fuel from fast-food places smells like french fries… NO JOKE!!!
Yeah, I heard that…but didn’t find any info on the site. I’d be curious to hear from one of these greasecar customers.
Actually biodiesel is different from WVO (Waste Vegetable Oil). Biodiesel can be put straight into a diesel fuel tank and run like normal without any changes to the vehicle whatsoever. WVO needs to be heated to run through the fuel system and also to be purged as it will gel.
Also it is important to remember that this kit is great for people that travel a fair amount each time they go to work or whatever since the car has to reach operating temperature. A Block Heater or remote start would work well since diesel’s use very little fuel during idle.