[VAL] Biodiesel and Biofuel - green renewably powered tow vehicles!

[estatewagons@xxxxxxx]

Vanessa - regarding alternate fuel powered tow vehicles - you bring up 
an excellent topic for discussion directly related to our Airstreams.

Gerald mentions biodiesel - and it's a fascinating product well worth 
investigating.  I just purchased a VW Passat TDI wagon and love it.  (it 
is not a tow vehicle...but read on anyway) It's interesting to note that 
biodiesel is already popular in Europe while we are just getting to know 
it.  VW is doing it's best to be a leader in that it allows my US market 
'05 Passat TDI wagon to run on a 5% mix of biodiesel - (mixed with regular 
diesel).  In fact that is not much - but the point is the manufacturer 
stands behind it with it's warranty.  It has been suggested that VW is 
considering upping the allowable mix to 20% in the near future - but so 
far no word.  

The key here is "under warranty".  If you have a diesel that is out of 
warranty - then that is a different situation.  From the way I understand 
it - running biodiesel is not the problem, it has to do with getting "good" 
biodiesel to put in ones tank.  I assume that the manufacturers are concerned 
that biodiesel is not widely available yet in the U.S.  - and sometimes its 
homemade using used french fry oil/cooking oil etc - so they don't want 
people using any and all biodiesel.  I was reading in my owner's manual and 
it mentions that (and again this has to do with a vehicle under warranty) 
that "if" a fuel issue arrises on a VW TDI - they might ask for proof of 
where you've been buying your fuel.

Having said all that - there is all sorts of information available on using 
biodiesel - especially in older vehicles. I eventually plan to get a diesel 
pick-up that is out of warranty so I don't have to worry about warranty 
problems and run it the way I choose.  I'll run it on 100% biodiesel.

As you read up on biodiesel - one of the things you have to watch on older 
diesel vehicles when switching to biodiesel - is the rubber/soft hoses and 
fittings.  Biodiesel is harder (eats through it eventually) on rubber and 
similar soft products - so it's important to know exactly how your vehicle 
is/was built before using it (the point being to know if and when your 
vehicle manufacturer phased over to fuel system materials that are biodiesel 
friendly).  I've read about owners of older Mercedes who simply have had their 
fuel systems upgraded - and then they are switched and good to go.  It's 
important to research each manufacturer carefully to know how biodiesel 
compatible it is from the factory - and how much needs to be modified.

Another of the well known things to consider when switching a diesel vehicle 
over to biodiesel is the fuel tank - as biodiesel is known to clean out the 
system it flows through.  In fact that is no doubt a good thing...but if 
your system was running conventional diesel for a period of time....you will 
probably clean out some gunk...and the result is in the short haul you'll be 
changing your fuel filters more often for awhile.

Here in the Seattle area - the Washington State Ferry System has been running 
part of their fleet on biodiesel - and they found their engines were running 
cleaner - in fact so much so - they were having a problem keeping ahead of 
clogged fuel filters.  I am not sure if they stopped and have started again or 
not - but they are definitely looking to the future.  Also a lot of the City 
commercial fleet runs on biodiesel along with many of the garbage trucks.

Biodiesel is made from U.S. farm grown agricultural products - renewable - and 
amazingly cleaner than conventional diesel.

The major production/refining of biodiesel is in the midwest - and just 
recently they've started producing it commercially here in Seattle.

www.biodiesel.org

Next thing to read up on is biofuel - to supplement or possibly? replace 
gasoline.  It's made from another agricultural product - switchgrass.  (this 
is not ethanol - that is corn based)

http://www.bioproducts-bioenergy.gov/pdfs/NRDC-Growing-Energy-Final.3.pdf

(it's a 96 page PDF - so it's slow if you have dial-up)

Do your reading to know what you need to know - it's all to the good as towing 
our Airstreams can be done with a U.S. grown renewable agricultural fuel source!

And if you have not heard about Willie Nelson's involvement - he has his own 
line of biofuel truck stops

http://www.wnbiodiesel.com/

RL
(a wheat farmer who wishes he had enough annual rainfall to raise soybeans for 
biodiesel....but doesn't...so he's keeping an eye on the biofuel/switchgrass 
progress)