Vegetable Oil vs. Gasoline?

[Pooh's Pal]

That's right....Vegetable oil instead of gasoline! I just heard this on the news. Some folks in Western Massachusetts are doing this now. Check it out:
Grease Car
I guess right now it's only available for diesel cars, but they expect others soon???

What do you think?

My dd just watched this news report with me and said: "I want this in my car...can you image all the money I'd save coming home from college!" (too bad she doesn't have diesel!) And just think of the supply of Crisco she'd have at school!!! hahahaha

 

[sha_lyn]

From some articles I've read this might be a much more likely fuel source in the future instead of electric or hybrid electric cars.
Soem think that in the next 10 yrs or so you can pull up to most major gas stations to fill up on recycled fryer oil. The vehicle cost would be less than the current electric hybrids. I would be interested if I thought I would have a reliable source to get the oil from.

 

[N.Bailey]

I heard about this some time ago. I think I heard (and could be wrong) that it would cost upward to between $3-4 a gallon though. If the price of gas keeps rising, it could end up being cheaper! I think it's great that we're coming up with alternative sources though. Perhaps if it becomes widely used, that price could drop too? Anything that gets our dependency on other nations to drop is definitely, IMO, a plus!

Edit: I do remember seeing this on tv, quite awhile ago, but maybe they were wrong about the pricing. I just saw this on another site:

Vegetable oil is becoming so popular that a Massachusetts company called Greasecar is buying it in bulk from a distributor and selling it to local customers. It's priced at 90 cents a gallon, said company founder Justin Carven.

Heck, all the more reason to push it!

 

[N.Bailey]

I wish I had a source to back me up, but I believe I heard too that we'd get more miles to the gallon than we do with gas. Again however, I could be wrong.

 

[sha_lyn]

from what I've read the price is about the same as gas along the west coast, and that is the only place the fitlered recycled oil is readily avalable.

However the site the OP gave talks about talking local restaurants into giving you the oil and you filter it yourself.

 

[Pooh's Pal]

In the news clip tonight, they mentioned getting used grease from restaurants...cause by law (at least in MA.) they have to use a certain type of receptacle to dispose of the their nightly fryer grease!
I work in a restaurant and I can just imagine the line at the grease dumpster using hoses to fill up their cars now!! Hopefully resturant employees get first dibs!! LOL

 

[N.Bailey]

Originally posted by Pooh's Pal
In the news clip tonight, they mentioned getting used grease from restaurants...cause by law (at least in MA.) they have to use a certain type of receptacle to dispose of the their nightly fryer grease!
I work in a restaurant and I can just imagine the line at the grease dumpster using hoses to fill up their cars now!! Hopefully resturant employees get first dibs!! LOL

Hey, I spent 13 years working in restaurants and you'd get my vote. You work hard enough, midas well go for some fringe benefits too!