November 11-17, 2004

city beat

Grease Junkies

Illustration By: Hyacinth Hughes

Could drive-through lanes soon double as fill-up stations?

by Jeff Gelman

Beth Pulcinella has ridden a bike all her adult life, but when it came time to finally buying a car, she wanted one that wouldn't run on fuel connecting her to the oil industry.

"I tried to look for alternatives to solve [my] transportation needs and be a more responsible human," says the 29-year-old West Philadelphian.

That search took her to grease—the kind fast-food restaurants use to fry food. Pulcinella's not alone, either locally or nationally, as more and more Americans are converting diesel vehicles into "veggiemobiles," which allow motorists to turn gas stations into distant memories. Luckily for them, many restaurants are more than happy to give used oil away since it cuts down on disposal fees.

One company that disposes of a whole lot of grease is McDonald's, which is looking into recycling cooking oil into biodiesel, according to spokeswoman Julie Pottebaum. "However," she said, "we have no future plans to expand this small test." (The better-quality canola and soy oils used by Asian restaurants and bars and grills also work better in many of the veggiemobile converter systems.)

It's not just about corporate cost-cutting. The altered diesel engines not only lessen America's dependence on foreign oil, advocates say, they also produce fewer environmentally damaging emissions. And with local fuel prices, as of last month up 20 cents a gallon from last year according to the American Automobile Association (AAA), driving for free is growing more attractive every day. Especially when the cost of a kit can be recouped in less than a year.

Before you rush out and pimp your ride into a veggiemobile, know that critics not only wave it off as an unproven fad, but warn it could hike insurance rates, void car manufacturers' warranties and result in inconsistent performance.

"We don't hold a lot of faith in filling up at the hamburger stand," says Allen Schaeffer, executive director of the Diesel Technology Forum, a pro-diesel advocacy group, citing car manufacturer concerns about low-quality vegetable oil's effect on a vehicle's fuel injectors.

Nor, seemingly, does AAA. Though a spokeswoman says AAA encourages vehicle experimentation, it doesn't envision a strong future for this alternative.

"We have seen similar small trials of natural gas and electric vehicles, each of which have their own limitations," said Catherine Rossi of AAA's Mid-Atlantic office in Philadelphia. "If vegetable oil were deemed a viable alternative fuel, there'd likely be a more significant effort to develop it, either by the oil companies who own a distribution network or by the agricultural sector who deals in the product."

That hasn't stopped several companies from offering conversion kits on the Internet for $500 and up. Nor has it discouraged roughly 3,400 people from altering their vehicles, as estimated by Charles Anderson, president of Missouri-based Greasel. Sales for Greasel's kits have doubled in the last six months, Anderson said, attributing the spike to high fuel costs and word-of-mouth.

"The next couple months, we'll probably double sales figures again," Anderson said by cell phone as he and a co-worker cooked at 60 mph in a veggie-oil-burning Ford Excursion. They were on their way to Little Rock, Ark. to learn about a fuel-injection pump that could improve the conversion system. "We just pass by all the gas stations and keep on smiling."

Drivers of gas-powered engines itching to get in on the action are out of luck. Waste vegetable oil isn't volatile enough to ignite via the spark plugs found in an internal combustion engine, according to Greasel.

Although diesel only makes up a fraction of this country's automotive market (less than 1 percent, according to the Diesel Technology Forum), that still accounts for roughly half a million vehicles. However, that number is expected to grow, as 3 percent of new car/light truck sales in 2003 were diesel, according to New Auto Dealers Association figures.

Diesel, which has grown cleaner and more efficient in the last decade, is also used to power trucks, buses, locomotives and generators. In Europe, one in every three cars sold is diesel-powered. Still, 75 percent of Greasel's customers don't own a diesel vehicle when they first inquire about buying a conversion kit.

"It's something people get impassioned about," Anderson said.

Veggie car drivers can expect the same power and fuel economy as when using diesel fuel, which is up to 40 percent better than gasoline, according to the Diesel Technology Forum. Advocates add that vegetable oil is better for a car because it lubricates the fuel injection system, thus extending the life of the engine. In addition, emissions are reduced because vegetable oil lacks many of the pollutants associated with burning fossil fuels, advocates like Greasecar founder Justin Carven say.

Despite all that, the Environmental Protection Agency hasn't given the thumbs up to veggie oil, although they have approved the use of biodiesel—a cleaner-burning fuel than diesel that can be made from renewable energy sources and used on its own or blended with diesel.

They're not the only entity that's wary. State Farm Insurance take modified vehicles on a case-by-case basis in determining the effect on insurance rates, according to spokeswoman Sue Sampson. And Volkswagen, which produces four diesel models in America, says that converting using veggie oil could void the powertrain warranty.

"The problem is, there's no way we would know what the long-term effect would be on the pump and equipment," said Tony Viglianti, the assistant service manager at Faulkner-Ciocca Volkswagen in Allentown. "I wouldn't want to be the guinea pig."

Dean Troxell has no such worries, though. The 31-year-old West Philadelphia resident expects to be a future customer.

Troxell, who is planning on starting a nondairy ice cream company, wants to convert two freezer trucks so he will be able to deliver the goods to out-of-state residents on free fuel. It would be the first delivery business that crosses state lines using veggie oil, says Troxell, who hopes his company will serve as a role model for other businesses.

"A lot of socially responsible companies are interested in doing it," he said, "but they're kind of waiting to see [someone else try it first]."