cars running on potato peelings?

There is that technology...but you don't just shovel your kitchen compost into the fuel tank.

Vegetable fuels have to be fermented and processed. Currently, this is slow and expensive. Also, the alcohol derived from fermented fuels such as corn (remember Gasohol?) cost more, and damaged engine components. Specifically, the rubber seals in carburetors and fuel injectors.

If alcohol-safe seals were used, why don't we go back to Gasohol, or better yet, pure alcohol fuel? Simply, it's the lack of energy per gallon.

Alcohol produces a cool flame. Gasoline produces a very hot flame. Alcohol has fewer btu's than gas. This makes gas the less expensive AND more efficient fuel.

When we develop the technology to create either high-btu alcohols, or inexpensive ways to produce those alcohols (or both), that is when we will switch to vegetable fuels.

General Tsao

Thanks tsao for your view,i believe that maybe the large money making oil companies have a very strong hand in stopping the car manufacturers from using new technologies available.hopefully one day we can find an alternative solution that doesnt use the precious resources on earth.
in england there is a thing flying about that you can use vegetable oil in a diesel engine as long as it has been filtered.ie you could use the oil from a mcdonalds fryer and filter it through a sieve and after a couple of modifications on your car you can drive away smelling of burger and fries but at a inexpensive fuel cost.

Racers have run alky for decades (Indy 500 started in 1965), & they can make MORE power than gasoline.

I've run a 4-7% alky blend in the gas for at least 5 years with no real problems.

OK, good point, Jarlaxle. To clarify:

Alcohol fuels have lower btu potential than gasoline. However, they also have higher octane (resistance to ignition).

Basically, you have to burn MORE volume of alcohol fuel to achieve the same mileage as gasoline.

The power in race cars is achieved through engineering (engine-eering, ).

An indy car is relatively lightweight. It carries only one passenger. Components are aluminum, and other lightweight plastics and metals. Steel is only used as necessary.

The engine is also intended to be run in only one race, then be rebuilt.

Alcohol fuels were probably forced on the racing teams by the racing commission (just like restrictor plates) in their efforts to make racing safer (alcohol is a cooler flame), and more environmentally sound (alcohol is a cleaner-burning fuel).

General Tsao

'Course the potato peelings go with the fryolator fuel which really is available here in New England: http://www.casella.com/neo/v2/story.asp?ID=32

Now everyone's car can smell like takeout, even if you never actually get takeout.

making a complex ester from alcohol and fats is he basis for biodiesel. It takes a fairly strait forward process and is a compressible self igniting liquid (once initiated)

In Hot Rod's World's Quickest Street Car Drag Racing Series (now the NMCA drag series), alky engines were HANDICAPPED with extra weight in Outlaw Street (the only place they're allowed). They still did pretty well. Properly tuned, an alky engine can make more power than a gas engine.

Indy cars used to get 800+HP from a 2.65 litre engine on alky. Properly built, a 2.6 litre 4-banger Offenhauser is capable of 1000+HP (!) on methanol.

Indy did go to methanbol for safety reasons.

1000 HP!!! Hard to fathom that kind of power!

Especially from a 4 cylinder engine.

Re: cars running on potato peelings?


Top Gear did an experiment whereby they raced three similar cars. One was fuelled with standard petrol, one with gases derived from cow dung, and the third with gases derived from human excriment!

Obvioulsy the petrol car won, but the 'Human poo' car came second and the cow dung car came last.

So when it comes to cheaper fuel sources the oil giants are full of it! :wink:

diy fuel