Interstellar Overdrive

Biofuel News Digest - January 26

2006-01-26T16:51:00.000-08:00

Get ready for the President's State of the Union speech next week. In it, he will talk about expanding biofuel production and use. As I have said many times, governments will be a player in this field but not the prime mover. This is private enterprise which sees many advantages in a biofuel economy versus one dependent on foriegn oil. In today's news digest:

Ford Looking to Combine Hybrid Technology with Ethanol
In an interesting twist, Ford is introducing a concept car which combines hybrid and E85 ethanol. The article doesn't cite what type of fuel economy to expect but whatever it is, it likely to be better that what's currently available in an SUV and it will be cleaner and domestically produced. This is still at the "concept" phase so don't expect to see one in a showroom anytime soon.

GM Plans Marketing Initiative on E85 Ready Vehicles
The Flexible Fuel Vehicle or FFV is designed to run on gasoline, Ethanol blend or Methanol blend. The engines are equiped with sensors that allow them to adjust the fuel injection depending on what type of fuel it has. Also the hoses and other internal engine components can withstand the chemical properties of these biofuels which older engines can not. GM's marketing drive is going to highlight this type of engine to the American consumer. "They might even be driving a FlexFuel capable vehicle today and not even know about it," said one of GM's vice presidents.

Colorado May Pass Mandate on Biodiesel
Looking down the treacherous path blazed by Minnesota, Colorado's Senate Transportation Committee passed recommended a bill that would mandate use of B20 biodiesel when the price is only ten cents more per gallon than regualr diesel. IOd's take on mandates is that they disrupt the natural workings of the marketplace. While it would be great if a big state like Colorado went to B20, if it backfires it could be really bad.

Biofuel News Digest - January 24

2006-01-24T16:32:00.000-08:00

Oil Prices spiked recently in reaction to nuclear sabre rattling by Iran. Today oil is "settling" at $67 per barrel. I am of the opinion that oil is going to stay in the $60-$70 range for the foreseeable futre. If not by hurricane, then by political intrigue. If not by supply, then demand. Oddly enough, those of us interested in the biofuel movement need to hope that petroleum prices stay high. This makes biodiesel and ethonal more attractive than they already are. Let get to the News:

Kuwait's Oil Reseverse Cut by Half
In an obscure backpage story on Friday, Petroleum Intelligence Weekly revealed that Kuwait could cut its proven oil reserves from 99 billion barrels to 48 billion barrels. To put that into context, the world consumes roughly 80 million barrels per day with the United States using about 25 percent of that. Peak Oil theory predicts that world output will plataeu and then decline sometime in the first half of the 21st century. With reserves being cut by major oil companies and producing countries, we may see decline before we are ready.

A Vermont Community Bank Offers Incentives for Fuel Efficient or Renwables
Here is something I haven't heard of. A bank is offering loan discounts to customers switching to greener vehicles. Cool!

DaimlerChrysler Sanctions Biodiesel for Ram Trucks
Most of us are not gloing to wait for automakers to put "Biodiesel Ready" stickers on their showroom cars to get into the game. We can take an old Mercedes or later model pickup with a diesel engine and simply get the hoses and fuel filters we need put in. But it is nice to see the automakers looking to the future.

Companies Offer Deal for Carbon Dioxide Emissions
I recently posted about TerraPass. While we are all striving for a cleaner environment by switching to biofuels, we have think about the damage that has been done and continues to be. The United States did not adopt the Kyoto treaty, but that doesn't mean individual citizens shouldn't think about the carbon dioxide they generate and look for way to offset it. These companies offer solutions for this.

Biofuel News Digest - January 19

2006-01-19T12:43:00.000-08:00

I have always thought that there is going to be an intersection of biofuels and biotech. I have always wondered what would happen if a new crop that allowed us to be green and energy independent was a genetically modified oranism. GMO crops are generally eschewed by the same people who gravitate toward greener fuels. Would we be making a deal with the devil or would be simply be using technology to solve new problems as we always have? I do no not intend to enter this debate. I will only keep you posted when biofuels meet biotech.

DOE And USDA Combine on Soybean Genomics Initiative
Here we go. The soybean is integral to today's biodiesel production. However, it is not the most productive plant available when thinking of oil havested in pounds per acre. Since the soybean has other valuable uses beyond the oil and it grows successfully across the Unitied States, its our country's go-to bean. So, can we modify its DNA to get it to produce more oil? Should we? The US Department of Energy and US Department of Agriculture are looking into question no. 1.

Biotech Industry Has Eye on Biofuel Phenomenon
It won't just be the government getting into the biofuel & biotech merger. Private industry, already having demonstrated redounding commercial success with GMO crops, see the coming wave of biofuel demand. They aren't going to wait.

Biofuel News Digest - January 16

2006-01-16T00:08:00.000-08:00

Apologies for the drop off in posts lately. I have been travelling. More on that in a future post. We have a lot of news to catch up on, so let's get to it.

EPA Lowers Fuel Economy Ratings
Apparently those big bold numbers indicating miles per gallon on the dealer invoice are wrong. The EPA will lower them to more realistic ratings when the 2008 cars hit showrooms. Hit particularly hard by this are hybrid vehicles.

Seattle Biodiesel Attracts Funding from Paul Allen
Investors are taking note of the biofuel phenomenon. This article mentions some venture funds including Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen throwing their hats into the biodiesel ring.

Individuals Also Invest in Biofuel Production
Got $25,000? You can own a stake in the fuels of the future. This Iowa plant is being funded by individual investors. The goal is to attract a total of $18 to $25 million in investment. Iowa's soybean farmers may only be acting out of self interest, but this is still an interesting model.

Biofuel Production Said to Compete With Food
This is a New York Times article (so it might be subsription only or not up for very long). Now that biofuels have grown so much, people are noticing the impact this is having on agricultural markets. Some worry that acres devoted to fuel are lost to food. Others argue that US agriculture has spare capacity and that there are substitutes for outputs such as animal feed and corn syrup.

Sugar Prices Feel the Impact of Ethanol
Sugar prices rise as Brazil devotes more of its crop to Ethanol production. Expect a similar trend with feedstocks for biodiesel such as soybeans.

Biofuel News Digest January 9

2006-01-09T23:07:00.000-08:00

North Carolina State Senator Switches to SVO
You'll need to scoll down to the middle of this page to see this story. Stan Bingham, a Republican, says "hello soybean and good-bye Opec!" He uses a two-tank straight vegetable oil system similar to that offered by GreaseCar.

Washington County Switches it Diesel Vehicles to B20
Counties operate a lot of vehicles. This county uses from 16,000 to 20,000 gallons of diesel per month. Not only are they switching to biodiesel but they hope they can produce it locally in years to come.

Japan Looks to a Biofueled Future
From a county to a Country. A major economic player in the world embraces biofuels. They have tried before and failed but they are not afraid to try again. This time, the supply will be a lot greater. Countries in the Asian Pacific are embracing biodiesel production from plentiful palm oil. Japan is a neighbor to China and they realize the impact China is having on the world oil market. Japan has always been a technological leader and let's hope they not only use biofuel but contribute to the fuel's development.

Eleven Biodiesel Production Plants to be Built in Pennsylvania
Governor Ed Rendell and AGRA Biofuels announce plans for eleven biodiesl plants in Pennsylvania. Since they plan to source the soybean feedstock mostly from Pennsylvania, this will be a boon for the state. The state also plans to use the fuel for home heating and electricity generation.

Terrapass -- Emissions Offsets

2006-01-09T00:12:00.000-08:00

I just plunked down on a new idea. What if you could do something so that the CO2 emissions from your car were absorbed and wouldn't impact global warming. Dependeing on your interpretation, Terrapass offers just such an opportunity. Visit their site and first you will calculate how much carbon dioxide your vehicle spews into the air. Then you will be offered the opportunity to purchase the right type of Terrapass. The proceeds of this purchase are used to help fund clean energy projects. By bringing more renewable or clean generation online, our electricity grid uses less coal or other fossil fuels. Most states are adopting Renewable Fuel Standards or RFS for short. Also, consumers are electing to switch to renewable energy when given the choice by their electricty utility. When we bring clean electricity generation online, we use it first before the carbon based alternative. So, after spending the almost $80, I'm still a little skeptical. How does $80 offset almost 18,000 lbs. of carbon dioxide? The explanation on their website does a pretty good job of explaining the model. Still, I'm left scratching my head. But with the number C-notes I've laid down on numerous Black Jack tables over the years, I figure a socially responsible bet offers just as much of a thrill!

Biofuel News Digest January 7th

2006-01-07T15:06:00.000-08:00

Biofuel News keeps coming. With all the developments large and small, 2006 promises to be a pivotal year for biofuels. The confluence of economics and social awareness has blown the lid off of something that used to be a botique interest. Let's tune into the recent goings on.

NY Governor Pataki Annouces Biofuel Initiative
In his State of the State address, Governor Pataki threw New York State's hat in the biofuel ring. Using his executive powers, he is ordering state agencies to start using a percentage of biofuels such as ethanol and biodiesel. He also is looking to boost the state's agricultural output of feedstock for biofuels. Pataki is considered a possible candidate for the 2008 Presidential race. IOd wishes New York success and hopes that biofuels are a major campiagn issue in 2008 as well.

Kentucky Cancer Caucus Endorses Biodiesel
In the continuing effort to educate the public on the benefits of biofuels, biodiesel wins the support of a key group. Biodiesel burns much cleaner than conventional diesel. But it still produces emissions. Net emmisions of carbon are of course reduced, but there is an increase of NOX. In evaluating the alternative between biodiesel and conventional petro diesel, this Kentucky cancer fighting group decided that biodiesel is a win in their cause.

Minnesota Governor Meets with Ford brass to pitch Biofuels.
In an effort to prevent the loss of manufacturing jobs in his state, Govenor Tom Pawlenty is pitching the conversion of a Ford plant to Biofuel ready vehicles. Following GM's announcement in December that they will be shuttering several plants, Ford's CEO William Ford stated that Ford would be making a similar annoucement in January. IOd will follow this story.

Biofuel Ready Cars Make a Splash at LA Autoshow
Hybrid vehicles are taking off. The automakers project that hybrids will constitute a significant percentage of of their fleets in a few short years. However, the growing interest in biofuels has also caught their attention. Saab and BMW demonstrated biofuel cars at this year's LA Auto Show.

Biofuel News Digest January 4 - First of '06!

2006-01-04T14:25:00.000-08:00

There is a lot of biofuel news to reports today. Some I'm catching up on. But some is just an increase in volume of news stories. So, let's get on with it.

Washington Senator Cantwell Continues Biodiesel Agenda
As more public officials learn about the benefits of biofuel use and production, they lend their imprimator and offices to the cause. Reported earlier on IOd, Cantwell was helpful in brokering a deal made by the Port of Seattle to start using Biodiesel.

Alcoa Grows Concerned About Peak Oil
Perhaps an anecdote here, but still very interesting. Alcoa, the aluminum company, uses a huge about of energy in making their product. Their customers obviously need a great deal of energy to transform the product into whatever they are making. Energy stability is therefore key to their sustainability. The fact that a major company is interested in Peak Oil makes makes it easier for the next major company to think about the problem of energy without plentiful petroleum.

USA Today reports on Biodiesel
Under the theory that no press is bad press, this story is a good one! It talks about problems that people have been having in the cold weather. This temperature range of biodiesel is hopefuly a problem that can be solved in the near future.

An Interesting Opinion Column in the St. Petersburg Times
This column ties a bunch of biofuel threads together. It even plugs the movie Syriana. I saw that movie and I walked away not really fully getting the plot, but totally getting the message. Florida shows NO biodiesl filling stations on the NBB map. Having spent some time down there recently, it seems like they haven't even taken their first step.

Public Transport

2006-01-03T00:43:00.000-08:00

I picked up the 1978 Mercedes in Phoenix. Its not quite the car that I thought it would be. Lots of little things wrong with it. But it drives great. One thing I did while in Phoenix that I don't normally do is I took public transportation. They have a pretty good bus system in Phoenix. In fact, I'm finding that public transport has a lot to offer. For whatever reason, I never used it that much. I've lived near trains which I took usually just to avoid drinking then driving but I've never really tried buses. Public transportation has a lot more value than carting drunkards around late at night. Some interesting statistics from the American Public Transport Association, per passenger mile, public transportation:

is twice as efficient as private cars
is three times as efficient as SUV's
produces 95% less carbon monoxide
produces 50% less carbon dioxide

Still, these amazing statistics only reduce our oil consumption by 45 million barrels per year. That's only a little over two days in the life of America. If we used public transportation at the same rate as Europe, it would make a HUGE difference. We could meet or exceed our Kyoto protocol CO2 targets. Transportation accounts for 43% of energy usage in America. Obviously, if we can make an impact here whether it be by biofuels or other means, we will make a big impact overall.

Check out your public transport options on Google or other search engine! Most public transport agencies now have websites which have route maps, schedules and fares.

News Digest Dec 29

2005-12-29T23:31:00.000-08:00

A small California town gets Biodiesel.
This is not a major story, really. But this is how Biodiesel is happening. A station here, a station there. A town that once didn't have it now does. Another dot on the map!

Fuelmeister gains publicity.
The Fuelmeister is a mini in-home biodiesel plant. Capable of making 40 gallons per batch, and with the extension, one batch per day, this little unit could put out roughly 14,000 gallons per year! This unit will have a market niche as long as biodiesel is hard to find at the corner filling station. The best thing I like is that it demonstrates the "low-tech" aspect of biodiesel. C'mon! Everyone's heard the story about the millions that the US put into a pen that could write in space while the Russians used a damn pencil! No in-home hydrogen making unit yet available!

Renewable Energy Standards go into effect.
The Energy Bill passed last year mandates that 2.78 percent of auto fuel sales be made from renewable sources such as ethonal or biodiesel. This is going to be measured at an aggregate level, and forecast indicate that this standard will be easily met.

Pick up today, No News Digest

2005-12-29T08:47:00.000-08:00

I'm in Phoenix today picking up the 1978 Black on Black 300D. So, There will be no news digest. I have some stories bookmarked though. I hope my next stop will be Twentynine Palms, CA just outside of Joshua Tree National Park. That's if all goes well. I have to deal with the Arizona DMV. Other than that, this should go fairly smooth. And who knows, sometimes the DMV (or the MVD as the call it in Arizona) can go smooth. There's a biodiesel filling station Phoenix that I hope to visit as well.

Get Your Mind out of the Dumpster

2005-12-27T15:50:00.000-08:00

I had one of those moments last night after I had woken suddenly at 3:30 a.m. suffering from indigestion. I grabbed a Tums and on the way back from the bathroom it hit me. Background: I've been bothered by website after website which talk up biodiesel or veggie-oil fuel and say that its free fuel -- just go dumpster diving behind your local Chinese restaurant and with a wink and a nod to the restaurant owner you have your fuel source. I don't know whether it was the in-elegance of this model or my basic sense that nothing is free that bothered me. But I kept thinking about it.

First, collecting a restaurant by-product is not easy and not everyone is equipped to get it, nor process it and store it after they have done so. An East Indian colleague of mine says it best, and you really need his accent to get it, "you know, nuisance has a value." Second, used cooking oil is actually a commodity. Its called yellow grease and it is considered a commodity by the USDA. The current price is 16.25 cents per pound which equates to $1.24 per gallon. Its primary use is in animal feed. So, with an economist's grin, I say that this represents an opportunity cost. Instead of filling your tank, you could fill your wallet. It would be like having a pile of chips at the blackjack table in Vegas. If you fill your tank, its as if you lost your chips to the dealer. If you take your chips to the cashier, you fatten your wallet. The value of the grease is the same no matter how it is obtained.

Why is this important? As I said, there has been too much fanfare about running your car on cheap or free used cooking oil. This notion detracts from the fact that biodiesel or veggie-oil won't take off until the distribution of it is similar to that of petro diesel. Biofuel isn't attractive because of its price. It's attractive because of its environmental, economic, geopolitical, and sustainability profiles are far better than petroleum products. I'm not sure what the commodity price of $1.24 goes to in order to get it to your gas tank, but with gas and diesel north of $2.00, there's room for this to be competitive purely on price. Add the "intangibles" and it becomes an easy sell. Biodiesel enthusiasts, get your mind out of the dumpster!

Biofuel News Digest 26 December

2005-12-26T17:07:00.000-08:00

Today's news update includes:

Minnesota suspends B2 Biodiesl Mandate based on consumer complaints.
A Minnesote state law which mandatea that all diesel fuel sold in Minnesota had to be at least two percent biodiesel. Two percent does not sound like a lot, Minnesota is the first state to madate such a standard. On a nationwide basis, 2 percent would mean 1.5 billion gallons of biodiesel. With only 750 million gallons being produced this year, a B2 standard would DOUBLE production of the fuel. However, there are now problems. While the cause is still being investigated, the effect is that truckers and car drivers alike are experiencing clogged fuel filters. The cheif suspect is that the biodiesl does not meet ASTM D6751-02. The mandate passed in March 2002 and did not take effect until September 2005. I hope these problems get sorted out fast. It would be a pity if this mandate had caused a flood of untested product to go on the market at the last minute. A mandate that was aimed to help biodiesel production might give it a black eye. I'm not a fan of production mandates. These are tools of a command economy, not a free one. I would have rather Minnesota passed a law requiring public transportation be converted to a high percentage of Biodiesel in an effort to use the state's purchasing power to spur growth in a new market.

Colorodo Community to test biodiesel on School Bus Fleet.
This is the same type of story as reported in yesterday's digest. I'm interested in it because it refers to Blue Sun Biodiesel which has been in my Bookmarks!

Saab to introduce a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV).
Flexible Fuel Vehicles are designed to run on pure gasoline, or 85% blends of ethanol (or methanol) and gasoline. Detroit has offered Flexible Fuel Vehichles for some time, but they haven't gained much share in the market. Ethanol's main detraction is that it has an unattractive energy balance -- it takes too much energy to produce a gallon of ethanol compared to other fuels. Estimates vary widely on this but one thing is for sure, it is here to stay. The Iowa caucuses keep it that way.

Biofuel News Digest

2005-12-25T13:00:00.000-08:00

Starting today, I will be providing a biofuel news digest. Basically, links to stories with my commentary. I use Google or other news search sites on the terms biodiesel, biofuel, or vegetable oil. Having done this on my own, I have been quite impressed with the quantity of stories, particularly the ones involving state governors, US senators etc. This is a growing phenomena which isn't reserved to concerned environmentalists.

South Carolina considers fueling its school bus fleet with biodiesel.
This is catalouged by AP as "weird news". AP, you're weird. Anyway, Josh Tickell, the Veggie Van pioneer, has a campaign to convert all of America's school buses to biodiesel. With 350 million gallons of diesel used by school buses each year, this is a good target market. But its not just the fuel, its educating the kids who ride the buses about the fuel.

Washington's governor Gregorie is pushing a biofules investment initiative.
Public officials see what everyone else sees. Money that is currently flowing out of the country into Sheik's bank accounts could be flowing into their constituents pockets. Biodiesel is a way to mitigate that by keeping money here at home. The pollution characteristics are not lost on them either. Gregorie's statment, "This is the economy of the future and I think we should lead the world." is a bold one but just what is needed. I wish California would adopt such an attitude.

The Port of Seattle will start using biodiesel in its operations.
Here, a US senator is named as a "broker" in the deal. The port acknowledges that they will pay more for gallon. I suspect that they know that the price we pay at the pump isn't the total cost of fuel. Biodiesel has the chance to help avert the next war, not start it.

Winnipeg Buses to run on Biodiesel Year-round.
City bus programs are turning to biodiesel around the country. Here, our friends to the north are busy making it happen as well. The article mentions a fuel additive that will help keep the buses running through cold weather. This is a big deal. One of biodiesel's main drawbacks right now is it's gel point. Biodiesel gels at around 32 degrees F while petrodiesel gels at around 5 degrees F.

Interstellar Overdrive -- The Business!

2005-12-25T12:04:00.000-08:00

It is with great pleasure and even greater humility that I announce the formation of Interstellar Overdrive -- the business! Many of you have wondered what became of my ambition to blog my way through the country with my new 1976 Mercedes 300D. Well, I wonder too to be quite honest. Three main difficulties arose: 1) difficulty to finding internet access at the the overnight lodging. LaQuinta and Hampton Inns are pretty good here, but they are a bit pricey too. 2) difficulty to find the time and energy when the day has been spent driving or checking out cool sites. 3) difficulty due to sudden formation of a business! I guess it was in Hattiesburg, MS where I got a phone call telling me I had won another Ebay auction for a Mercedes 300D. This one is a 1978 black on black model located in Phoenix, AZ. I had little expectation to win this car, but I couldn't help myself in bidding on it. Now the mental machinery had to engage and I sketched out a vague business model. The basic plan is to create a biofuel filling station with a small showroom for recycled diesels capable of running biodiesel or vegetable oil. I have no idea if this will be a profitable enterprise. I'm more concerned with whether I can pay my bills while doing it. I love the concept of a business that can both be successful and help solve some real problems in the world. A great challenge lies ahead of me. Except for some classic cars that I'm trying to refurbish and resell, this thing is just a dream. I will keep you posted on my progress.

This is the Phoenix car. I expect to have this under my wing by
December 29th.

This is a car I picked up in LA. It needs new paint but the price
I paid easily leaves budget for that.

This car will be shipped from Pittsburg. You should see the
immacualte interior! This is showroom only - not for resale!

Beyond Petroleum? Part 2 of 2.

2005-12-07T22:47:00.000-08:00

I singled out BP in the last article because they're talking the talk. Exxon-Mobile is too. I need someone to walk a walk that makes a difference for me now. Only small co-ops and some start-ups are getting into the game thus far. Oil companies are not the monoliths we would think they are. Behind the neighborhood corner Exxon sign is just an average Joe trying to make a living. The Exxon logo comes at a high price for Joe and many Joes or Yusefs scrape by no matter what the price of gas is. The local station owner decides when it is a good idea to carry diesel, or convert existing diesel to biodiesel. The corporate headquarters can help only by honoring an order for biodiesel. So how would a gas station owner make a decision to add biodiesel? The answer is that each one of us needs to demand it. Each one of us needs to first get off of gasoline and second make alternative fuels our number one choice. We will probably pay a premium at first. But I do believe in basic economics - supply and demand. Usually, demand for a good or service precedes supply. It is the high price of the good that attracts suppliers. My father was in the disk drive business in the early years when everyone thought they could be in it. He supplied parts to manufactures. In those early days, if you added up all the firms that thought they could get just 5% of the disk drive market, it would have come to 500%! The glut in supply that pursued made disk drives inexpensive for the people like you and me. It took more than academic projections to attract suppliers. Computers started to become a reality in everyday life. Let us strive to make biodiesl a reality in everyday life. If you own a car with a gasoline engine now, get rid of it. Buy a diesel and get going on alternative fuels. Patronize the small co-ops who sell these fuels and dis' the big oil franchises who don't. The big guys will either become the dinosaurs that made them rich or transform into the enterprises we need them to be. Ultimately, we need to change our buying habits before they change their selling habits. It's not hard. Go onto Ebay and get a beautiful Mercedes Diesel like I did!

Beyond Petroleum? Part 1 of 2

2005-12-05T21:48:00.000-08:00

I watch TV. I have two or three shows I watch regularly, and other than that I watch its sports or cable news. The off switch has its merits. "It is a custom more honored in the breach than the observance" Hamlet would say. Television shows are just filler in between advertisements. British Petroleum runs ads frequently trying to use its advertising to cast itself as the energy company that is moving "beyond petroleum". Their ad campaign has been top notch. It makes the viewer feel comfortable that an enrgy company is thinking ahead. I'll give them credit, it looks like they are thinking ahead. But advertisements and small scale alternative enery projects don't move the needle.

I drove from Bradenton Florida on US41 and then US19. I must have seen dozens of BP stations. I would wage that fewer than ten percent of them offered diesel fuel. And of course none of the stations that do carry diesel have biodiesel. Diesel is better than gas because it is more efficient and biodiesel is better than diesesl because it burns cleaner and is sustainable. Oh, sustainable. BP has a "Sustainability Report" that they publish annually. Cool. Some good stuff in there. But I have to say if you are going to move beyond petroluem, move beyond it or at least get started on your way. What good do these advertisements do if the customer can't have a different experience at BP? Jack Welch asked GE early in his tenure as CEO - do you want to make and sell toasters or CAT Scan machines? It seems like BP has already addressed this same type of question for itself. I want to see action. Biodiesel doesn't need BP in order to thrive. But BP needs biodiesel.

Welcome and Hello

2005-12-03T19:58:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Interstellar Overdrive. I am using this blog to

capture my trip across the country

celebrate my new 1976 MBZ 300D

tell all of you about alternative fuels

This last goal is by far the most important. I bought my 1976 Mercedes Diesel to use as my gateway to the burgeoning alternative fuel market. There is a real trend developing in the use of biodiesel and different forms of vegetable oil for powering diesel automobiles. The goal is straightforward: produce a fuel domestically that burns cleaner than imported petroleum for a similar price. The science is simple: almost any vegetable oil can be converted to biodiesel using a method called transesterification. Or, with a simple modification, diesel engines can run on pure vegetable oil instead. Finally, the energy and enthusiam is there: I know I have caught the bug and I can tell from the websites, blogs, news articles etc., that others like me want to make these alternative fuels happen.

In the coming weeks I will be mixing a travel log with whatever I can find on this alternative fuel market across the country. I will put links to some of the blogs and sites on my sidebar. I hope it is as informative to you the reader as it will be for me the writer-traveller. I leave from Bradenton, FL tomorrow morning. The name is Interstellar Overdrive: Your Ride to the Future.