SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, CA - June 27, 2008: Solazyme announced recently that SoladieselRDTM , a microalgae-derived renewable diesel, has passed American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) D-975 specifications. SoladieselRDTM is the first algal-based renewable diesel to meet these standards.

In a 100% blend, SoladieselRDTM has been road tested in a factory standard 2005 Jeep Liberty diesel. The fuel's chemical composition is identical to that of standard petroleum based diesel, and SoladieselRDTM is fully compatible with the existing transportation fuel infrastructure. Having fewer particulate emissions, SoladieselRDTM also has a more desirable environmental footprint than standard petro-diesel. In addition, it meets the new ASTM ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) standards.

"This now marks the production of our second fuel that meets current U.S. fuel specifications and is an important validation of our proprietary process using microalgae to produce renewable fuels," said Jonathan Wolfson, chief executive officer of Solazyme. "Solazyme's leadership in the green fuels space will continue to grow as we now execute on our strategy for commercial launch."

The only advanced biofuels company producing at scale, Solazyme implements a unique microbial fermentation process that allows algae to produce oil in massive vessels quickly, efficiently and without sunlight. The process can utilize many forms of non-food feedstocks, including waste glycerol and many cellulosic materials including wood chips, corn stover and switchgrass. The resulting oils can be leveraged across a wide variety of industries and applications, including fuels, edible oils and chemicals and are completely biodegradable, nontoxic and safe.

Why biodiesel in a racing car?
Christian Bokich: We're racing to show people what's coming in our future cars, and to show that we're leaders in diesel. It has always raced on GTL; it's not from an oil barrel, it's from natural gas using a high-tech conversion. The new twist is the GTL was only the stop-gap to learn how to create synthetic diesel. We know we wanted to do biomass diesel, not based on foodstuffs.

Racing is fun. Racing is exciting. But we're racing for a reason: A to win, and B to bring the technology to customers. Though we don't recommend more than 5% biodiesel in our cars now, we want to say for the future you can use it in one of our new cars with a full warranty, and racing is an easy way to test that technology.

Did you have to make any adjustments to the cars to run the mixed fuel?
We did not. There were no adjustments.

You ran a mix of GTL and BTL, that's what you're trumpeting, but did you run it the whole time?
We were running the fuel mixture the entire race. There was no night-time mixture or day-time mixture.

WIll you continue to use BTL or is this a one-off race, albeit a successful one, with a low mix?
I think eventually you'll see higher mixes. We haven't announced what's going to happen now with the remainder of the US races we have. I assume we will continue. I think if we start using it now it would only make sense to keep using it now.

What's better, ethanol or diesel? You race against the E85-powered Vette; do you want to talk some smack?
Diesel offers the benefits that ethanol might have, but we have tremendous amounts of range. The R10 TDI, if it were not for the restrictions that were placed to put our cars on a level playing field, not only on the size of the gas tank but the rate at which we can refill, we could go lap and lap and lap without refueling.

Sure, we think diesel has an advantage over ethanol. The fact that we're using BTL that just uses garbage is a sign that we're investing in technology that uses a lot of existing resources. From what we know, ethanol does interfere with the human food chain.

This was your first trip to Le Mans, how was it?
I've never seen a race that seems more prestigious. I've been to the Indy 500, to all the ALMS races for two-years running. I guess the length of the race itself is prestigious. The regalia and the tradition that goes with it. We arrived and we went to this parade and they have all these fancy cars. And you look at the caliber of the people walking around. It's just an exciting and enthralling place. It was overwhelming, but it was kind of cool. I don't get very euphoric at times, but it was pretty easy to get euphoric about it.

[Photos: Robin Thompson for Audi of America]

Jalopnik: Where did you get this idea? David Levine: I got the idea for the project from my brother's work and from readings being done in the field. My brother's undergraduate thesis work is in the area of using algae to treat wastewater, and in so doing, make oil. We modified that a bit to the current project.

J: What are the steps needed to produce this biofuel?
D: Step 1: Culture algae in varying media to optimize its growth
Step 2: Design & build photobioreactors (the large tank-like structures that the algae grow in)
Step 3: After sufficient growth, harvest algae
Step 4: Extract algae oil
Step 5: Chemically modify oil into biodiesel (transesterification)

J: How did the students react to the project?
DL: Student reactions were varied, but almost all positive. This was an incredibly authentic learning piece for them that truly affects their day-to-day life. As a result, engagement was high, completion of the project and report was above average, and students continually remarked that what they were learning and doing mattered. Ciera Rice, one of my students, showed up in a green shirt, green pants, green jacket, green hair tie, and green stickers on her cheeks.

J: How big was the grant you got from BP?
DL: The A+ For Energy grant was for $10,000. The grant has covered most major expenses. Incidental costs have been covered by me. There's no doubt, however, that the grant has morphed my classroom. You walk in and the equipment resembles that available in the suburbs.

J: What was your biggest surprise with the project?
I was most surprised by the ease with which the students took to a green mindset. Discussions about a carbon footprint or about reducing one's hours behind the wheel would have been taboo a few months ago. Now they're something about which my students feel empowered and ready to act on... even if they still make fun of me for riding my bike to school.

J: What were the biggest challenges?
DL: Harvesting and extraction. Once perfected for industry, the harvesting process will probably require a continuous flow centrifuge to concentrate the algae. Even the greenest algae you saw in my room is still about 99% water. Concentrating the algae is key to a successful extraction and yield (because water can wreak havoc on the chemical reaction, depending on your extraction method). The extraction procedure in itself still requires fine-tuning for an industrial scale process. This project certainly did not solve those issues, but it did experiment with one wet extraction procedure that has not yet been published.

J: How has this impacted your students?
D: I've touched on the impact a bit already above, but I also think that this project has given them the opportunity to enter in to and engage in the green movement like few other high schoolers do. I firmly believe that the green movement will be successful at attacking eco-equity issues through technological innovation, and my kids now have a leg up in that race. I'm looking forward to seeing them come back from college armed with new ideas and skills that will revitalize our community.

J: You seem tired and friends have told me you've not been getting much sleep...
DL: I sleep about 4 hours every night during the week. So, that's about 4 hours a day of lost sleep, a staggering sleep debt that's probably keeping me from properly expressing myself right now.

(Ed Note: As a matter of full disclosure, my fiancee is in the Teach For America program so I probably have some bias towards it.)

The Idea
David Levine, a second-year teacher placed in Chicago through the Teach For America program, faced a common problem: how to get students to take the same interest in their studies as in Grand Theft Auto IV. His school, the Al Raby School for Community and Environment, serves populations from the predominately African American neighborhoods on Chicago's West Side, a place where the median income is more than 40% lower than the city as a whole. How could he motivate his students to invest their time and interest in the scientific process?

Levine settled on one of the biggest issues facing this generation of students: the impact, both environmental and political, of our dependence on foreign sources of fuel. According to the UN Human Development Reports, the US emits 21% of the world's carbon dioxide despite having only 4.6% of the world's population. We're currently engaged in our second war in the oil-rich Middle East. Using these issues as a starting point, Levine sought a project that would address the problems while at the same time providing an educational and compelling experience for his students. Thus the Algae Biodiesel Van was born.

The goal was to create enough biodiesel from algae, grown and processed in the classroom, to power a vehicle from the school to Chicago's Sears Tower and back, an approximately 20-mile round trip. Because algae sucks carbon out of the atmosphere, it is relatively carbon neutral to produce and, unlike corn or soybeans, isn't a food crop. But how do you turn single-celled plants into viable fuel within the confines of a classroom?

The Process
You can't miss the algae-processing unit that occupies the corner of Levine's science classroom. Giant bags filled with a specific strain of fuel-producing algae are stacked on top of one another, connected by a series of tubes that pump the bright green organic slime around a stack of fluorescent lamps to encourage photosynthesis. This would actually make a great lighting fixture for a trendy LA sushi place.

Students have been working with Levine to cultivate the algae in their classroom and refine it down to fuel. Almost all the work was done on-site, though at one point the solution had to be taken to a centrifuge at the University of Illinois Chicago for final separation, an event which afforded students a chance to see a fully operational lab.

After spending a large portion of their junior year working through the process, the students were able to create what they hoped was enough fuel to power a vehicle the full distance: one gallon. Right before the trip one of the students showed off their beaker of algaediesel, which I can attest smells much better than petrodiesel. Though that's not saying much.

The Van
Working with a small grant from BP America's A+ For Energy program, there wasn't much room in the budget for buying a car specifically for the purposes of the test. Thankfully, the fuel is of such high quality that, when mixed with vegetable oil, it can run on most unmodified diesel engines. Here's where the 1982 Vanagon Diesel Westfalia Camper comes into the picture.

Faded orange with a white camper top, this particular Vanagon was loaned to the class for this experiment by a trusting friend of Levine's family. Still used for camping, the small fridge inside the van features remnants from previous outings, plus a bed, kitchen and radio; it's actually a small home they're running on their fuel, made all the more so due to the absence of seat belts.

The Fantastic Voyage
After draining off the low-sulfur petrodiesel in the tank, a large crowd of students, faculty and media collected around the van to see if it would actually start. There was a sense of hopeful expectation as Levine slowly poured a gallon of his student's labors into the VW. After taping the plastic back over the fuel tank (they had trouble getting the cap back on), Levine lodged himself in the driver's seat, while his fellow science teachers piled in to provide moral support and, should the van break down, actual physical support. Engaging the clutch, a few held their breath has he turned the key. Put, Put, Put, Put, Put. The familiar register of a diesel engine filled the air, overtaken immediately by the applause of students.

Levine drove the van around the block and returned victoriously to this group of excited students suddenly filled with that sense of accomplishment that comes from a job well done. But one more test remained. Had they made enough good fuel to get the van to the Sears Tower and back? In traffic?

The principal decreed that students couldn't ride in the van since it lacked safety belts and, really, anything resembling safety equipment. Besides, limiting weight was a primary concern: The range calculations for a single gallon of fuel were fairly rough. The driving would be handled by James, David's father and a veteran of the One Lap of America (he raced a Porsche 911 RS). Navigation was up to Evan, another science teacher involved in the program. I had the final seat on the back couch where I would serve as the historian and archivist. After a slight top-off with the remaining fuel mixture and a check of the systems (assuring the plastic was completely taped over where the gas cap should go) we set off for the Sears Tower.

Driving into downtown Chicago, especially on a Friday afternoon, requires an ability to improvise. Construction, traffic and frequent fender benders all lead to the sorts of complex traffic patterns that we don't currently have the processing power to comprehend. Thankfully, the Tower is the tallest building in the city and, therefore, was easy to spot out the van's windows.

Given our limited resources, we decided to tack east using a narrow road that runs predominately underneath the elevated train tracks. Though not the most direct route, we hoped to avoid congestion and keep track of our chase car, piloted by students and running on good ol' 89 octane. The first few minutes out everything was going well. There was no foul smell or smoke and the engine was running smooth for a van older than the students who fueled it.

That's when the oil light blinked at us. Could the fuel be interfering with the engine's oil pressure or temperature? Were we just unlucky enough to be having an unrelated problem while winding our way towards the city's most recognizable piece of architecture? James gets on the phone with David and they quickly decide that it's unrelated and not a concern.

Pushing forward, we keep spotting the peaks of the Tower between the other building that ring the outer loop. As we get closer to the city we start getting looks from the commodity traders, receptionists, service employees and others who are hoping to escape the city for the weekend. Even without the knowledge we're running on algae, the van is hard to miss.

The oil light still illuminated, we weave our way past cabs and around buses until we see the sign for the Tower's parking garage. We've made it... halfway at least. Given the beefed up security downtown, I'm hoping we don't get stuck and have to explain why we parked this funny-smelling van right next to the building's foundation.

James parked the van down the street from the amazing structure, thus lowering the risk of clogging traffic any further and providing a better location for photos. After a quick picture with two of the students, we raced back across town to the school. Worried about fuel levels, there wasn't time to dawdle. We cut south before going west, hoping to avoid the worst traffic. Our gambit worked, and we arrived at the school a few minutes earlier than planned. So early, in fact, that there was no one around to celebrate our victory over the forces of fuel consumption. Where the hell were the students?

It turns out they were inside munching on donated snacks and enthusiastically sharing their research and work on environmental projects they designed as part of the "Green Fair" planned around the launch of the Algae Car. Inspired by the fuel project, more students than usual actually completed their assignments. One of the coaches at the school remarked that in high school he just did his assignments to do them, but that Levine's kids "were actually doing the work because they cared and believed in it." Talking with some of the students and teachers, it's clear that this may be the day's biggest victory.

Victory And Hope
It's hard to overestimate either the technical or educational achievement of this project. While this particular journey back-and-forth from the school to downtown isn't going to fundamentally change our nation's energy policy, it did impact the very people who will be involved in finding solutions in the future. The next night I joined a tired but proud Levine for dinner. In addition to the joy he felt from successfully completing the project, he also had great news about his student's educational progress.

The students in his classes dramatically improved their scores on the scientific portion of the ACT compared with the previous year. It isn't easy to quantify the amount that this specific project contributed to the leap in test scores, but it would be hard to deny the impact after seeing his excited students cheer on their project car.

Having driven another special diesel prototype, the Audi R8 V12 TDI LeMans, I can't say that the Vanagon is quite as menacing. And instead of being flanked by black SUVs driven by off-duty cops, we were followed by an old silver Camry driven by a couple of students. But if I had to choose which experience I thought was more important, more impressive and more downright awesome I'd have to go with the Algae Car. With a significantly smaller budget, a group of determined students and their dedicated teachers proved our options for the future are only limited by our own imagination.

We've heard all the arguments before: lack of infrastructure, high development costs, unproven technology, bad leadership; but here are vehicles which, as we speak, are being driven to Washington DC in climate-controlled comfort by their student creators

Yes, GM is developing the Volt, a car that's essentially electric on a platform allowing for production-swappable powertrain technology to eliminate the limited range. Basically, it allows for every powertrain under the sun including diesel, petrol, hydrogen and probably poop — but we don't want to wait until 2011 to drive it, we want it now damnit. Yes, even the poop-powered version. The company intends for Challenge X to highlight possibilities, and it does. However the unfortunate flip-side is it also highlights the lack of foresight in their past, a mistake they're only now trying to fix. After all, if a bunch of kids can build a fleet of alternate-fuel cars, why can't one of the world's biggest companies? And no, a limited-run fuel cell Equinox fleet does not count.

I'm looking for input from my fellow Jalopniks on the best "alternative" commuter car. The obvious choice would be either a bike or something like an old CRX or Civic Hatch, which can be entertaining in their own right, but I'm looking to get a little more creative. Electrics, bio-diesel/veg oil (but what car?), bike-powered kit cars are all on the table. It's gotta be reasonably reliable and cheap, like under $15k and preferably under $10k, with the goal of minimizing $/mile while keeping me out of a soulless Prius. I've got tools, skills, space and (some) time to make it work, but I need some ideas.

So what do you think? Should he go all-out ecomodder? Anyone know who bought Daryl Hannah's biodiesel camino? We're partial to the OM617 so why not pick up a diesel 300TD wagon on the cheap for a veggie oil conversion? He's got at least $10K for this project, meaning that some of you can envision products that leave $9,500 for parts. Let the project car hell begin!

It's assumed that Richardson intended to convert the grease into biodiesel that he could then use in his own vehicle to save money on fuel, or to sell for a profit. It's not known what penalties he'll face.

It seems odd that a fast food restaurant manager would report someone stealing grease, but could be an indicator of things to come. Could used cooking grease become a commodity just like other fuel sources? [Via CBS5]

The mission was more than just showing off the chocolate truck—the pair delivered a biodiesel processing unit to a charity in Timbuktu to allow the locals to create their own biodiesel from sustainable resources. The journey took the pair a month to complete.

All equipment created and used was salvaged from scrap yards; the inventive duo will be leaving the chocolate truck in Timbuktu. This made me think of chocolate bunnies, those hollow Easter treats that we all love to decapitate. How about a real chocolate truck, confected along the same lines as the bunny, to celebrate Pag and Grimshaw's achievement? [Boing Boing]

The El Camino

special secret surprise!!!
the baddest assest biodiesel "el camino" ever
with your own b100 biodiesel pump + station!!!

uh huh...
that's right...
the original black beauty biodiesel el camino
run on b100 sustainably sourced biodiesel
this super stealth flat matt black el camino hasn't seen a lick of petroleum + has been my daily driver 4 several years
one of the few diesel el caminos ever made
factory diesels r super hard 2 find
(they only made a few hundred in 83' +84')
it's fully smoked + tinted by a custom shop
it gets pretty decent gas mileage cause it's not so heavy
5.7l gm diesel, automatic, cruise control ac, pb, ps,
139,000 miles
i love it soo much + I wanna share the love
(u know i'll find another one 4 myself)
+
it comes with a basic oh so easy home fueling station -
if you have room 4 a trash can - you have room 4 your own gas station!
easy instructions included
a 55 gallon super lightweight storage drum - a hand pump + filter
with unique quick release fittings that take the hassle out of threading etc.
so easy I can do it myself all dressed up + no mess
+
we'll give you a resource guide 2 finding the most sustainable b100 biodiesel source near you!

2 see more about bio-diesel + the el camino -
(go 2 dhlovelife bio-diesel vlog#1)

so get up and get off the fossil fuels!!!
xo
daryl
Sale info will be posted on Dec. 20th. Keep you eyes open!

The Ranch BioBeast

ranch bio-beast!!!
meet tomcar....
isn't he cute?
this tough buddy will + can do almost anything you need on the ranch
a sandrail (think baja 1000), mule hybrid
the tomcar is workhorse extraodinaire
+ it runs on b100 biodiesel
(sustainably sourced - the only kind we like )!!!

25 mpg - up to 250 miles fuel range
(with optional 2nd tank).
the highest safety profile - like a roll cage on wheels
designed for 300hp but powered by 35...
seamless frame + roll cage welded as one unit.
safety fuel tanks, racing regulation 4 point seat belts.
very low center of gravity
+ long suspension travel makes the tomcar extremely safe 2 drive
for all skill levels
towing capacity - 2500 lb, up to 100% cargo payload (on TM5 models).
3 cyl turbo diesel running on b100!

street legal (low speed vehicle)
built to do the toughest jobs ever imaginable
+ made in the u.s.

(h/t to Rafael) [Camino & Ranch Beast]

BURBANK, CA—(Marketwire - November 17, 2007) - Neil Young will be interviewed on CNN's "American Morning" on Monday, November 19th. Young, in the middle of a North American tour, went to Wichita, Kansas to meet with John Goodwin, who is converting Young's 1959 Lincoln Continental Mark IV convertible to run on biodiesel and electricity. Young and Goodwin describe the new fuel-efficient life of the car and how it holds exciting possibilities for the future.

Neil Young is directing a movie about the experience, including the drive from Northern California to Kansas to deliver the vehicle. Titled "Linc-Volt," the film is scheduled for a 2008 release. Once the conversion is complete, Young will drive the Lincoln from Wichita to Detroit for meetings with the auto industry, and then return to Kansas to retrace the route back to Northern California, raising awareness of the feasibility of hybrid-powered cars within the mainstream consciousness. He describes the Lincoln's new form and function as the embodiment of "classic Americana from then, meeting the Americana from now." The Linc-Volt is expected to achieve up to 100 miles per gallon on the highway.

"American Morning" airs on the CNN television network 6-9 a.m. EST. Neil Young's interview will also be featured on www.cnn.com.[MarketWire h/t Tina Chow]

· Gasoline direct injection or clean diesel technology
· Limited but enduring demand for hybrids
· Biofuels to reduce foreign oil dependence incrementally, but not ethanol — biodiesel.

Thus, in Bosch's world, the car of the near future will be a common-rail turbodiesel hybrid running on vegetable oil. Here's hoping Audi and Toyota can get along well. That V12 TDI Synergy Drive would be perfect for a new Supra. (Press release / speechification after the jump.) – Mike Spinelli

Press Release:

Christopher Qualters
Director of Diesel Sales and Marketing
Bosch USA

Thank you for your attention!

Related:
"Green" Lola Entered in LeMans Race [internal]

Most of the talk we Americans hear about biofuels for vehicles has to do with ethanol- after all, it can be burned in gasoline-engines with minor modifications, plus the technology for producing ethanol relies on good ol' familiar whiskey-still expertise. But in the diesel-fueled parts of the world, particularly those located near the equator, the talk is all about the jatropha bush. Turns out jatropha likes hot, arid climates and its seeds have an impressive 30% oil content. It's inedible, so there shouldn't be many squawks about diverting food from stomachs to fuel tanks, and the process of turning it into a diesel fuel is relatively uncomplicated. Farmers in China, India, and Brazil are gearing up to grow plenty of the stuff. – Murilee Martin

Former weed may fill world's fuel tanks [Christian Science Monitor]

Related:
Bio-Diesel Baja! Veggie Monsters Aim for Run in Baja 1000 [internal]

We just got a tip from our guy Skiny (above), idea man and Audi Avant road-rallyist. His latest project involves a ragtag group of diesel engineers, celebrities and related cohorts. Their mission is to field a 100% biodiesel team to run the Tecate Baja 1000 in November. Heavyweights Bosch and Gale Banks Engineering are reportedly on board to work up three stock truggies (those are the half truck, half dune buggies Baja types use for their intradesert runs). And there's talk of biodiesel proponent and driver of a veggie El Camino Daryl Hannah, and Hayden "That Anakin Guy" Christensen, being involved in some capacity. More details to come when Skiny decides to spill the whole thing. No word on whether the bio juice will come from corn or cactus hooch. – Mike Spinelli

Related:
Mach Freunden Mit Dein Schnell: A Post to Pacify Wert; Daryl Hannah and Her Biodiesel Camino! [internal]

Midwestern Hoons + Beater Bonneville + Deep-Fryer Oil = Breaking our addiction to foreign oil! These hoons figure that Pontiac 301 will purr like a kitten with a crankcase full of used Melfry, and maybe they're right. Well, no. But let's hope they throw some wheels on and take the ol' Bonneville out for some off-road jumping action when the snow thaws. – Murilee Martin

Related:
BioWillie May Help You Score Chicks [internal]

Ah, a "green" fuel with an "orange" tint to it created in a land where walking through the wrong neighborhood while "green" or "orange" could get things hurled at you, including bullets. But since the strife in Northern Ireland has died down and economic development in the Republic is moving at a speedy pace, the time apparently seemed right to build a biodiesel plant in Ulster. Currently, however, the facility is strugging to find enough used cooking oil to meet demand. Yes, that's the Ulster we know and love — a place where nothing works quite like it's supposed to. – Davey G. Johnson

Ulster fuel plant gets cars moving with cooking oil [Belfast Telegraph]

Related:
It's a Diesel EXP! Are You Asking for a Challenge? [Internal]

In the annals of mostly-forgotten Ford Product of the 1980s, there lies the EXP, the front-drive two-seater for active singles or childless couples on the go. And as with any car, it has its own enthusiast group. Now, add biodiesel to the Venn diagram and in the overlap, you'll find the vehicle utilized by the Ford EXP/Mercury LN7 owners' club, who've yanked the petrol mill in favor of an Escort diesel unit, in hopes of winning The Northeast Sustainable Energy Association's annual Tour De Sol Challenge, followed by a record attempt at Bonneville. – Davey G. Johnson

The Green Experiment - Biodiesel EXP Project

Related:
American Apparel Biodieseling Its Employees [Internal]

While D.C. fat cats here in the land of the free bluster on about the political bandwagon that is ethanol, several organizations in India actually seems to be doing real work on the subject of renewable fuels. Instead of playing into the hands of the "ethanol has super potential" crowd, the Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), is working with some fungi and a plant called the Jatropha curcas to develop a self sustaining biodiesel industry. The best part? If you eat one of the nuts from the plant, you feel ill, two, and you may blow chunks, and four you may die... cool. Oh and it also produces oil that can be readily modified into fuel oil with heating energy of up to 26400 kwh/ha (which comes out to about the energy equivalent of 252 gallons of petroleum diesel per acre). Yowza. Scientist Alok Adholeya (snicker) and others at TERI spent five years...

working to find symbiotic fungi that allows the plant to grow in toxic and generally crappy soil. In the process they've refined the strains and boosted normal yields by 15%. Currently they've got about 2400 acres of land growing this magical plant and are hoping to have eight times that by 2008, with a processing and production facility to boot. The goal is around twenty three million gallons annually, which is a tiny fraction of consumption here in the US, but promising no less considering the time line and the backwards compatibility with existing engines. So successful have these efforts been that the Indian government is considering pushing a national initiative around the project, tossing around wild suggestions of a million acres of planted Jatropha.

So it seems the gauntlet has been thrown down. I know it's terribly cliche to talk about energy independence these days, and often like pissing into the wind, but you can't help but wonder about it. Anyone with an engineering degree will tell you that thermodynamically, ethanol is a losing game. Knowing that, will America go down a road to sustainability, or continue to offer midwestern farmers a corn based reach around? .– Ben Wojdyla

India's Big Plans for Biodiesel[Technology Review]

Related:
Environmental Screed Unintentionally Endorses Petroleum [internal]

Captain Slow has cashed in his Range Rover and picked himself up 1.2L petrol- powered Fiat Panda in the interest of saving England from what he feels is the biodiesel scourge. You see, the estimable Mr. May doesn't like the look of British biodiesel's prime ingredient: oilseed rape.

"From 2,500 feet I can see quite vividly just how much of the sceptred isle is being given over to this unutterably crap crop, and believe me it's quite a lot. The only possible benefit I can conceive of is that soon I'll finally be able to find my way back to the airfield, because it will be the only bit of the whole country that's still green."

James is Nobody's Fuel [Top Gear]

Related:
Classic Top Gear: James May's Manly Triumph [Internal]

Audi's motorsports techies, titans of the oil-burning racecar scene, say they want to run the R10 racer on biofuel at next year's 24 Hours of Le Mans. It's part of a companywide move, says Audi Sport's head of engine technology Ulrich "Torquenstein" Baretzky, to develop biofuel combustion technology for VW/Audi. But they won't be using leftover horse lard from the local bistros; they're planning to use Biomass to Liquid (BTL) fuel, or a synthetic derivative of plant-based oil, the producers of which are owned by team sponsor Shell. Oh, now we gets it. – Mike Spinelli

Audi Aim For Biofuel Win At Le Mans 2008 [German Car Scene]

Related:
ACO to Handicap Audi R10?; Two R10s Enter, One R10 Wins; Corvette, Lola, Panoz Round Out Sebring Class Victories [internal]

The third in a trifecta of showcase cars from NY local boys, Ai Design, is a Chevy Suburban that would be a perfect complement to the Official Jalopnik Unibomber Shack(TM). Ai Founder Matt Figliola calls it a "post-apocalyptic road rider." The tricky truck started life as a 2002 Suburban gas V8 (Chevy didn't offer Duramax diesels that year). It was fitted for oil burning by a Colorado outfit, Duramax Suburban, with the engine modified to sustain biofuel's more corrosive properties (we did not know this was a problem). Then Ai installed a mess of performance tweaks, including transmission, turbochargers, exhaust system, fuel injection, and ECU mods. Next stage, Brembo brakes and 12" lift kit, followed by an entirely custom interior with carbon-fiber trim and switches for everything from the climate control to the engine management system relocated to a hand-fabricated console. Finally, it's Alpine F-1 audio, satellite antenna and enough AV tech to keep the Jalopniks on the road, and out of the shack, permanently. Or until Lord Humungus gets all the biofuel. – Mike Spinelli

[via World Car Fans]

Related:
And the Living Is Easy: Ai Design's Mobile Living Space [internal]

Related:
SEMA Show: 3,000 hp Chock Full 'O Nuts Turbogreasel Pickup [internal]

From the alternative-fuels-going-wicked-fast department comes this 3,000 hp greasel Chevy pickup. Designed and built to run flat out for land speed racing the Silverado packs a V6 Detroit Diesel mounted amidships that huffs fuel peanut oil and air, first though a 8:71 blower at 35 psi and then through twin Schwitzer turbos running at 70 psi for 65 psi overall. The delicious, yet good-for-the-old-ticker peanut oil is force-fed into the engine via a top fuel dragster-style fuel pump at 300 psi. Final torque values register in the 6,000+ lb-ft range. The pickup rolls on shaved tires from a Boeing 747 out back, with some smaller Learjet versions in front for a target speed of 240 mph. Orange County Rod and Custom built the monster as a vehicle for the new Yahoo! Autos Green Center with full testing to commence at El Mirage in early November. French Fries were served up at the unveiling for the peanut oil tie-in. We hope they install an inline Hobart deep fryer for some funnel cake action out at El Mirage. [Gallery] – Mike Bumbeck

Related:
Daryl Hannah and Her Biodiesel Camino! [internal]

Brian Friedman has a reputation for weirdness. The entrepeneur formerly owned Haight Street hipster emporium Anubis Warpus, then bailed out and travelled around and camping in a customized Airstream pulled by a fuel-sucking van, leading him to design a single-tank vegetable-oil conversion for the old Mercedes diesel. Finding a plentiful supply of the cars in LA, he founded Lovecraft Biofuels, a conversion-company and dealership. Old-line grease-fueled-vehicle types have gone on record calling him a pinhead. But the Silver Lake crowd loves it. Of course they do. For what is Silver Lake but the Haight with better weather?

The Crisco Kid [LA Weekly]

Related:
Daryl Hannah and Her Biodiesel Camino! [Internal]

Their band is scientist rock, and their prognosis on soybean-derived biodiesel and corn-sourced ethanol isn't good. Besides saying it'll all wash away, which we don't believe anymore, scientists say that switchgrass actually is a great ethanol source that can perform much better than corn-based ethanol in an energy-in/energy-out comparision, as it can be grown on more arid land without fertilization. The one thing we don't get is that the report mentions that growing switchgrass won't affect food supplies. But wait, aren't we already paying farmers to grow corn that we're not going to eat? Meanwhile, we've got our recruits and our green mohair suits, so please show ID at the door.

Forget Fueling Cars On Corn or Soybeans [CNET]

Related:
Ethanol's Pricey! [Internal]

"Fahr up that there fuel-cell bus, Earl — we'll be tappin' the keg on the banks of the 'Merican River tonight!" A biodiesel Beetle, a plug-in Prius and yes, a fuel-cell-powered AC Transit bus that also features hybrid-style regenerative braking all made the trek from Santa Clara, in the heart of Silicon Valley to Sacramento to raise awareness of alternative fuel options for the nation's fleet of vehicles. Most interesting to us is the hydrogen-powered public bus, which can run 350 miles before refueling (one of the nation's few hydrogen filling stations is in Richmond, CA, which is served by AC Transit, and Chevron has just built a facility in Oakland). No word, however, on if the bus' driver did indeed tap a keg on the riverbank that night.

Green cars strut their gas-saving stuff on promotional road trip to Sacramento [San Jose Mercury-News]

Related:
Hydrogen Sub-Sub Compact Coming Soon to a Toybox Near You [Internal]

Chrysler Group's HMIC, Tom LaSorda, gave a talk at the Renewable Fuels Association about the American auto industry's commitment to biofuels, using Brazil as an example of a nation that's moved away from petroleum. Considering that he followed Dubya in the speech lineup, and given that we're less likely to believe LaSorda than we are Dieter, we can't say that we give his talk a ringing endorsement. That said, we do think a lot of what he says makes sense, if it bears out. It may sound like boilerplate, and it probably is, to an extent, but between the lines, we think it's also a signal that the American automakers are about to make a significant shift. We're taking a wait-and-see on what it will actually be though.

Tom W. LaSorda, Biofuels: A Win-win Proposition [Carlist]

Related:
Daryl Hannah and her Biodiesel Camino! [Internal]

Henry Rollins once had a spiel from the late '80s on how he puts Daryl Hannah's name on the list for all of his gigs, hoping that she'll walk by and say something to the effect of, "Wow! Henry Rollins! That sounds wild! I'm gonna check that out." And while, as revealed in today's podcast, 3/4 of the current operating staff aren't supposed to rock the leche con carne (although at least one has a penchant for cheeseburgers), the other 1/4 has been a vegetarian for the last eleven years. He also owns the most inefficient car of the bunch. And of course, he's the one who used to drive his El Camino down El Camino Avenue to El Camino High.

So while we've known about Daryl Hannah's matte-black grease-fueled G-Body for quite some time, the amount of mail we received regarding a recent article on it in the SF Chronicle has finally prompted us to post on it, as did the provocative footage of Hannah licking the gas cap. Licking a gas cap! How delicious is that? And after watching the footage on her vlog, all we really wanna know is this: Daryl, do you like younger men obsessed with making silly punk references at work? If so, start cruising Pacific in San Pedro. We want a ride in your ElCo. Oh, and Roxanne is one of our favorite movies ever. We're gonna go cue up "Cyrano de Berger's Back" by X. Okay, mash note over. [Thanks to all who tipped.]

Daryl Hannah Speaks Out [SFGate] Biodiesel [DH Love Life]

Related:
Grow Your Own Combustible Consumables: Backyard Biodiesel [Internal]

A couple folks have tipped us on this one now. A group working out of San Jose has come up with what they term the "Massive Yet Tiny" engine. Apparently, the mill is designed to easily accept biofuel and can crank out 814 torques. That said, it's yet to be dyno-tested running on real combustibles, relying on air pressure to fill the cylinders. Interestingly the engine's only got 15 moving parts, is designed to use oil as a cooling agent, and well, if it's as-advertised, could be totally revolutionary. We'll keep an eye on this one.

Angel Labs

Related:
Charting the Powertrain Future [Internal]

We're not exactly 100% on this, but we can offer you this Jalopnik Helpful Hint. If you're down with Smiths-loving girls of English parentage who dig vegan victuals, invite one to a plush hotel in a rainy city. Then order a movie about gay cowboys on the hotel TV. Giggle about homoerotic subtexts that can't really be called subtexts in this case, because no matter how liberated you are, the cock 'n' balls is always funny. Then, at the end of that film, choke up. When Willie Nelson covering Bob Dylan (Mister Narrator! This is Bob Dylan to me!) kicks in during the credits, open the floodgates. You will be guaranteed makeouts. If you own a 200 D Benzamino fueled with BioWillie, you might even get to third base. It's available at Love's truck stops in the Dallas area now. James Andresen, in the space of a few days, we've solved your woman troubles. Get on that shit.

BioWillie goes to market [Carlist]

Related:
Konnichiwa! Grease Up! Joint Sino-Japanese Venture to Make Biodiesel From Kitchen Grease [Internal]

Four companies, two Japanese and two Chinese, have gone quartersies on a new plant to refine cooking grease into biodiesel. Unlike the kitchen-grease cars that we've reported on in the past, where the oil is merely filtered and held in a special tank, the biodiesel created by the new plant in the Shanghai area will be added to petroleum-based diesel as a way to stretch fuel supplies and decrease diesel prices. The plant will have the capacity to process 40 tons of grease into 17.3 tons of fuel per day.

Restaurant Grease to Fuel Cars [Shanghai Daily]

Related:
Grow Your Own Combustible Consumables: Backyard Biodiesel [Internal]

Those wacky DIY nutters over at Make have a bit devoted to making your own biofuel, including a link to an article about crafting your own homebrew biodiesel, starting small and then working your way up to moderate-scale backyard capacity. Hey, you've gotta do something with all those garden scraps, no? Now we just need a diesel lawn tractor.

How to Grow Your Own Oil [MAKE]

Related:
American Apparel Biodieseling its Employees [Internal]

Man, here's a dichotomy. A Mississippi man who owns four McDonald's franchises has converted his Ford pickup and his VW Beetle to run on excess grease from his stores; the four locations dispose of 10,000 gallons a year, giving him basically unlimited supply of food. According to him, it's about environmental sustainability and independence from foreign oil, yet ironically, dude owns four McDonald's franchises; rainforests are being clearcut for land to raise cattle to satiate the world's appetite for meat, and all those cows release volatile organic compounds out their bums, which leads to air-quality problems like we see in the Southern San Joaquin Valley. That said, we're a vegetarian and our car has a V-8. We'll shut up now.

Fry fuel: McDonald s franchisee runs cars on it [MSNBC]

Related:
Kettle Chips and Its Fleet of Biodiesel VW New Beetles [Internal]

Okay, so we're all for people running biodiesel as a personal initiative. We think we've made enough posts on it to prove that point. And we're all for people selling biodiesel. And LA's a perfect environment for it, and it's cool to have a biodiesel option when renting a car around LAX. So in a way, we applaud Bio-Beetles, a new rental agency near the airport. That said, one can only refuel the cars in one spot; a Culver City parking lot. Plus, apparently, the company only allows one to use bio-diesel. This smacks of the irritatiing self-righteousness that annoys us about the environmental movement, even as we applaud their motives.

Cars Run On Veggie Oil, Won't Hertz Environment [CBS 2]

Related:
Kettle Chips and its Fleet of Biodiesel VW New Beetles [Internal]

This Week at Treehugger: Willie Nelson has a limited line of 41 pickups
and yep, they run on biodiesel, have soy-resin bodies, and pack 700 hp a piece; Hymotion rolls out plug-in hybrid conversion systems for the Prius and Escape hybrids; the Prius hacking mission takes another step forward with the integration of a Mac Mini into the car s touchscreen; and a look at some of the most efficient and deliciously ridiculous DIY cars the 70s and 80s had to offer.

[Treehugger's Perspective Shift roundup appears every Wednesday]

Our pal Spence over at Leftcoast- breakdown reports that his employer, American Apparel, they of the sweatshop-free, made in Downtown Los Angelees clothing, are now offering biodiesel to their employees, and Spence is all over that shit like a man in pain rockin' the liquid Vicodin:

"I'm seriously considering buying a diesel because of this. Say, a nice W124-bodied Mercedes, anywhere between '87 and '95. It's not just the appeal of less pollution (making penance for all my years of driving guzzlers) but it's also the esthetics of the thing, of filling your tank at work with an organic fuel that doesn't fuck with the environment, feed political corruption, and fund Islamic extremism. That's thinking locally."

Dude, Mister Jalopy's got one to make you jealous but it ain't for sale.

I Heart AA [Leftcoastbreakdown]

Related: