Diesel versus Vegetable Oil - The Fuel of the Future?
May, 28, 2008
Although petrol and diesel prices are soaring, diesel is becoming particularly expensive. Gone are the days when motorists opted for diesel cars because of good fuel economy and lower CO2 emissions. The nationwide average price now stands at a hefty 125p a litre, making many regret abandoning petrol engines.
Petrolprices.com says diesel drivers are now being forced to rethink and consider whether they really are saving money. They point out that a decade ago a diesel car doing an average of 40 miles per gallon driving 9,000 miles a year would have cost just under £650 to run. Today the cost is a staggering £1,125.
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In times like these you can always count on human ingenuity to save a bob or two. So is vegetable oil a viable alternative to diesel? This was prompted by our appeal to SaveBorrowSpend’s readers to email us with their top money saving tips.
Ray Britner took up the challenge (thanks, Ray) and wrote:
On June 2nd 2007 the Government quietly announced that anyone with a diesel car, van, truck can now use vegy oil instead of diesel as long as they don't exceed 2,500 litres per year. Vegy oil is far better for you engine and the environment as there are no carbon emissions, your engine will run cleaner, smoother, quieter, and return a much better mpg. You can buy vegy oil or corn oil right off the shelf from any supermarket at around 37p per litre, although I have noticed these prices are beginning to rise as more and more people are starting to use veggie oil, this is any ordinary deep frying oil and no changes to your engine are required.
Ray’s idea got me thinking... could it really be this simple? Before I rushed out to fill up my Volkswagen with extra virgin olive oil (instead of premium diesel) I thought I better find out more. As Ray points out, Biofuel excise duty was changed in June 2007, meaning there is now a lower threshold of 2,500 litres of fuel a year, before you need to submit returns or pay duty.
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And there is an array of websites out there devoted to spreading the vegetable oil message. One, the brilliantly named www.dieselveg.com says ““Besides a huge saving in money, running on vegetable oil results in longer engine life due to better lubrication as sulphur is added to diesel fuel for lubrication. Vegetable oil is a natural lubricant.” And there was me thinking that it was primarily for pan-frying or knocking up a quick salad dressing.
But, Ray! Reading a little further, dieselveg.com says using vegetable oil in an un-modified vehicle is not recommended, it mentions scary vegetable oil-related hazards such as atomistation, big globules (eek!), polymerisation on the bores, engine wear and oil contamination. Some people suggest mixing 20% vegetable oil with diesel can be done without modifications, but others say this can also cause all the above mentioned problems.
I’m not going to be deterred by big globules. So what modifications are required? According to www.vegoilmotoring.com you need to fit a conversion kit to make a diesel vehicle run reliably on SVO (Straight Vegetable Oil). Put simply this kit heats the veggie oil and thins it down, allowing it to pass through the fuel delivery system in the same way as diesel.
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But then I discover on further scouring of the internet that the safest way to use vegetable oil in my car is have a properly installed two-tank system, where you run the car on pure diesel during start up before shutting the engine off to flush the system! However, there are kits out there that completely modify the engine to make it work without a secondary Diesel tank, involving injector nozzles, glow plugs being replaced and adding heating elements and different fuel filters.
Another thing I’ve discovered is you need to inform your insurance company if you convert your vehicle, but this should not affect the premium.
A few other thoughts crossed my mind which perhaps Vegetable Oil converts can help me with: Once I’ve had my engine modified, am I going to have to struggle out of the supermarket with litres of vegetable oil or do I make a fortnightly trip round the local chip shops and pubs begging for the deep fat fryer cast offs? Am I going to smell like a chip shop? Are those little crunchy bits of batter going to clog up my big end?
Ray, you made it sound so simple! But thanks for the tip, maybe some other SaveBorrowSpend readers will be intrigued enough to explore further. Please email us if you do, and let us know how you got on.
So, these are the modern dilemmas the potentially Green (and skint) motorist has to struggle with. Maybe those little electric cars are the answer after all...
Feature: Petrol & Diesel Prices - 10 things you need to know
SaveBorrowSpend Philippa Adam
