Gavin was written up in the 2/10/02 issue of the Connecticut Post. One of our Electrifying Times readers brought the article to our attention. Gavin sent us all his information. He is working on his own website. The car on the left is a biodiesel VW Golf. The car on the right, his EV Porsche.

VEGETABLE OIL CONVERSION KEY POINTS

1 The world's two biggest problems today are: 1. global warming and 2. fossil fuel resources for future generations.
2 When fossil fuels are consumed additional co2 is released into the atmosphere this is the cause of global warming.
3 Diesel engines running on diesel fuel emit 20% less co2 the major contributor to global warming and diesels are more fuel efficient
4 In 1900 Rudolf diesel demonstrated his engine at the worlds fair.  He was running it on peanut oil
5 Diesel engines running on vegetable oil are emitting no additional co2 into the atmosphere
6 Electric cars that are charged on the grid contribute to global warming to the extent that the power is produced by non renewable resources
7 Fuel cell powered vehicles contribute to global warming to the extent that the hydrogen was using non renewable resources.  By electrolysis of water consuming electricity or by directly using natural gas.
8 Diesel engines running on vegetable oil while not contributing to global warming by emitting additional co2 into the atmosphere still do emit co and nox emissions but the newer engines emit far less 50% to 80% less than most gasoline powered automobiles.  With a few additional modifications such as pre heating the inlet air and fuel and the catalytic converter , the emissions can be still further reduced. Vegetable oil powered diesels emit no sulfur emissions and so do not contribute to acid rain like regular diesel does.
9 Diesels also emit particulate matter, however , new filter technology can reduce or eliminate this.
10 In 1999 the U.S. harvested 2.7 billion bushels of soybeans. Soybeans are 20% oil. 36.4 bushels equals one metric ton of soybeans. This is 15 million tons of soy oil. Soy oil is 7.2 lbs per gallon. Therefore if a group of cars consumed 10 gallons of soy oil per week then this is enough soy oil to run 8 million cars a year. This is not the total energy solution but a good start, and part of the pieces to solve the future energy problem.
11 V.W. has the Lupo in Europe that gets 90 mpg on diesel and Ferdinand Peisch of V.W. has set a goal of 280 mpg for a diesel two seat car before he retires.
12 My V.W.Golf gets 44 to 51 mpg while running on vegetable oil
13 Vegetable oil is more viscous than diesel fuel and will gel more easily than diesel fuel this problem can be overcome by simply heating the oil to around 130F.  I have found that during the summer months that heating is not essential but does improve the engine's performance and decreases exhaust smoke when the engine is cold.
14 During the winter months the oil can be heated most easily using electric tank and fuel line heating system it is also possible that diesel fuel anti gel products currently on the market may also prevent vegetable oil from gelling I am currently experimenting with this.
15 Several farmers in Europe have been running vegetable oil that they make themselves with a press that they sell in their tractors Volvos and VW diesel Passats. You can find out what they are doing and see their equipment lists and wiring diagrams on the internet at www.oilpress.com/links-veg-oil.htm
16 There is another vegetable oil product that can be run in a diesel engine, it is called biodiesel it is produced by reacting vegetable oil and potassium hydroxide and ethanol and then mixing with water the material is let stand till it separates into biodiesel on the top and glycerin on the bottom the glycerin can be used for soap.  This is ok if you need the glycerin or like to go to lot of trouble the only advantage is that it will not gel as readily in cold weather as vegetable oil however it will gel faster than diesel fuel.  All of this processing will add to the cost of the fuel, and make it more difficult to sell.
17 Some states are considering requiring the addition of biodiesel at 10 to 20% to regular diesel fuel to lower the sulfur emissions that contribute to acid rain. Vegetable oil has no sulfur or heavy metals. The government is studying this to see if it is possible meanwhile some of us are already running on 100 % vegetable oil !
18 Vegetable oil sells for 12 to 17 cents a pound in bulk in the Midwest at the refinery.  The cost to have it delivered to the east coast in bulk last summer was 98 cents per gallon the same price as diesel delivered in the same way at the same time.  Prices fluctuate with the seasons, in the fall the harvests are in and the prices are low exactly when diesel and #2 heating oil prices begin to rise.
19 vegetable oil will also run in most boilers that run oil with little or no adjustment and you will have no sulfur no heavy metals lower co and lower nox and no greenhouse co2 emissions.
20 Remember the co2 released from running vegetable oil was the same co2 that was absorbed over a farmers field last summer by her plants and you are re releasing it to be absorbed by plants again this year.  Essentially you are running on the solar energy absorbed by the plants last year You are not releasing the co2 that has been locked up in the oil coal or gas fields for the last 100 million years or more the re release of which is causing global warming
21 If you do this you will also be able to look further generations in the eye knowing that you at least didn't ruin their environment or use all the world's easy energy leaving them in a very bad situation. After all in our every decision we must consider the next seven generations. We did not inherit the earth from our parents we are borrowing it from our children.