Magic Diesel - The end of petrol era

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 16 Nov 2004, 21:53

What surpriss me is that with this governments enthusiasm for genetic engineering there doesn't seem to be any research to modify oil-producing plants to produce a slightly lighter oil which could be used as road fuel.
Imagine a reversal of the daft set-aside policies, maximum use of farmland to grow road fuel, which means cleaning carbon dioxide from the air, less pressure and reliance on oil producing nations . . .revival of rural communities, loads of cuddly post offices. . .
Why not?
Jeremy

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 16 Nov 2004, 21:56

Try phoning BP and asking them if they fancy cutting oil production. You will probably find your answer then!

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 16 Nov 2004, 22:10

There is already a GMO rapeseed plant - and as you can read on this and many other websites, rapeseed oil is a purfect substitue for diesel oil. The only thing stopping us all from contributing to global warming reduction, is the western governments complete obsession with the hugh amounts of tax they are creamimg off the price of petrol & diesel. If they did the proper thing and promoted vegetable oil based, locally produced fuels, they would have to reduce the taxation and loose out on all the millions of tax income they now have.
//NiSk

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 16 Nov 2004, 22:21

What is the taxation like in Sweden NiSk? The British Government seem to be showing no desire to encourage vegetable oil as a replacement for diesel. Last time I was in Eire diesel was about 30% cheaper than the UK.

Kowalski · Post by **Kowalski** » 16 Nov 2004, 22:40

Diesel is looked upon as being a dirty fuel, where as LPG is looked upon as being clean. LPG needs conversions doing to cars, it needs "infrastructure" (pumps at petrol stations). The cost of implementing LPG is more expensive than biodiesel, so there are tax incentives.
LPG comes from oil / gas companies, oil and gas companies have big lobbying budgets so they can have the law changed to suit themselves. Its in the oil companies interests to use LPG as a replacement for petrol / diesel since they supply both. Biodiesel doesn't suit oil companies, they don't make it or sell it.
Biodiesel and bioethanol release CO2 that was captured from the atmosphere by growing their respective crops, they are CO2 neutral. Fossil fuels release trapped CO2, there isn't a method of trapping more CO2 to replace the CO2 released.

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 16 Nov 2004, 22:46

And have you ever tried frying your chips in Duckhams?

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 16 Nov 2004, 22:50

A litre of diesel (city diesel or ultra low sulpher diesel as its called - thats all we are allowed to buy these days) costs 8.9 SEK = about 70p.
Its made up as follows: 3.8 diesel cost, 5.1 taxes.
But on top of that, all diesel cars have a road tax roughly 6 times that of an equivalent petrol engined car, so my XM 2.5TD has road tax of 6700 SEK/year, whereas a XM V6 only pays about 1300 SEK (ecologially obvious, isn't it?)
Today I saw low price rapeseed oil at Lidls for the first time - 5.99 SEK/l = 47p so its off the supermarket again tomorrow! (damn, I just filled up the car!)
//NiSk

np · Post by np » 17 Nov 2004, 01:00

Alec,i thought BMW`s current designer was British?Chris Bangle,or something like that.Used to work for Jag & A/Martin.

madasafish · Post by **madasafish** » 17 Nov 2004, 01:17

BMW's designer IS Chris Bangle (I think the current 5 series is a monstrosity but...

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 17 Nov 2004, 02:14

NiSk, what does Swedish law say about using vegetable oil?

andycarter · Post by **andycarter** » 17 Nov 2004, 02:20

At www.dieselveg.com they're running a petition to try & get the UK government to reduce the tax on vegetable oil.

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 17 Nov 2004, 02:24

It may take passive resistance or public defiance. Something should be done.

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 17 Nov 2004, 02:33

It says the same as the UK law - OK as long as you pay a ridiculous amount of tax as well. BUT - over here we have RME (rapsmethylester - a chemically modified rapeseed oil which doesn't freeze until -18 C) which is quite legit - just it costs 15% more than standard diesel. However, RME is uncoloured, as is Lidl's rapeseed oil and they both smell the same - so the C&E guys are going to have a hell of a time telling if you are running on RME or just plain Lidl rapeseed oil! Serves the buggers right!
//NiSk

beezer · Post by **beezer** » 17 Nov 2004, 02:49

i have been figuring out some similar tactics here. Watch this space.

Post by **Thunderbird** » 17 Nov 2004, 04:32

Concerning the nostalgic memory of the V8 petrol, there is no problem - the new dream diesel cars may have, as an option, a DSP that reads the aceleration information from the ECU and simulates the noise of the V8 petrol into the advanced audio system (mixed with the song playing). This while acelarating from 0 to 60mph in less than 6secs, leaving the rusty and smokey Rover V8 miles behind. [}:)][:D]
You can try but you can't stop the future. [8D]
In my country there will soon be avaiable biodiesel made from soya.