Thanks to Kim, one of our customers I can now tell you about 2 great web sites that are covering the latest news on Alternative Fuels in Australia and beyond.
And for a good example of the kinds of cool things that are going on in your back yard, check out Conservo. I bet you didn’t think alternative fuels had come this far in Australia. Not even I did, and I made my own Biodiesel for a while. The news is good!
I’ve been running my brand new BMW 120d on B100 (100% Biodiesel) that I’m getting from Byron Bay – http://www.northcoastbiodiesel.com – and it hasn’t skipped a beat. I have pictures of my ride here: homepage.mac.com/nitramluap/120d/
Paul
Hello Paul,
That is awesome. I recently bought a VW Golf Diesel as it is more efficient and was flexible when it came to BioDiesel. I didn’t notice until I got home though that there are No Biodiesel stickers on the fuel tank etc. I have to do some double checking yet, but I will be pretty bummed if I find out that I can’t use biodiesel. Great to hear your story. Maybe we will have something like that up here soon. I used to make my own but it is a lot of work if you are a busy fellow already.
Yeah… my fuel filler says that too.
Funnily enough BMW Australia will ‘approve’ B5 or B10 (I have an official letter to prove it), neither of which can actually be purchased mind you. I didn’t consider making it for numerous reasons. The B100 I buy conforms to European (& Australian) Standards so I’m comfortable using it.
There are a few things you need to consider before running B100 – feel free to contact me personally and I can tell you all I know. The future of biodiesel is exciting but more people need to know about it. On ABC’s ‘Difference of Opinion’ the other night it didn’t even get a mention.
When you think about it, biodiesel is the ultimate solar power, capture by plants & conveniently packaged in liquid form for easy transport. There are moves afoot to use algae (algaculture) as the feedstock – something which requires minimal input and negligible land use.
Paul
An update:
15,000km later and no problems. I’ve purchased O-rings from BMW which are in my engine and, if made from natural rubber, will cause problems. I’ve placed small amounts of the rubber from each in different concentrations of biodiesel and so far I have seen no sign of degradation.
Two oil tests @ 4000km and 12000km show that the biodiesel isn’t doing anything to the engine oil either
Regards,
Paul
PS: Must drop by for coffee. I often frequent Sol over the road but do most of my coffee drinking at home, sorry!