The auto industry has really been under the gun for the last 10 years or so due to complex, external forces. Certain sectors of the industry had been slow to catch up with trends through the 80s and 90s, and had become too reliant on multiple vehicle ranges and inefficient practices. The industry has been hammered by increased foreign competition, burgeoning fuel prices, regulations, environmental issues and the great recession.
The Clean Air Act was revised in 1990 and dictated that fuels should be more sustainable and particularly that petrol diesel engines be replaced with low sulphur options. While certain states in the US had restricted diesel engine vehicle sales, this is likely to lift as the pollution associated with diesel slows. There are other factors to take into consideration and we saw during the terrible events of 2001 how vulnerable we can be to foreign interests and how we rely on such countries for fuel needs. Our energy security, our environmental health and our economic efficiency began to demand that we look for alternative fuel sources.
In modern times, diesel engines and their internal components are much more able to cope with low sulphur diesel and biodiesel fuels. These days, biodiesel fuel is starting to gain popular acceptance and production has grown by 700% over the outgoing decade.
The great recession has considerably changed the face of the US auto industry. One of their big three manufacturers is now owned by a European company, Fiat, and it seems likely that we will see an influx of vehicles based on European platforms and wholly more efficient than what we have seen there previously. In Europe, diesel engine cars are very popular and we can expect to see an increase in this type of sale as well. This would lead to biodiesel becoming more and more important. While prices may be equitable as compared to conventional diesel, vehicles which operate pure biodiesel or a blend are much better for both the health of our global climate and the people.
Biodiesel is not an experimental fuel as some believe. It is the only fuel fully certified by the EPA and can be traced back to the 1930s. Auto manufacturers are quite happy to see biodiesel used in diesel engine vehicles as long as the biodiesel is manufactured to internationally accepted standards, and will not void a warranty if you do so. Conversely, biodiesel use is likely to result in a longer-lasting engine as it has a much higher lubricity when compared to petro diesel.
Proponents of biodiesel agree that it does not have widespread acceptance as yet and distribution stations remain relatively scarce. Production of the fuel should interest our army of entrepreneurs as the thought of making biodiesel fuel commercially is well within reach. Those who start off making homemade biodiesel could move up to the production of the fuel in their local regions. It is possible to obtain certification from the EPA once you have mastered the task of producing the fuel reliably, and to progress by selling it to an increasingly interested public. Biodiesel is a superb alternative fuel, and it’s certainly an option which could radically change our impact on the Earth, perhaps more quickly than we might realise.
Tags: biodiesel, Diesel, engine, environment, fuel