A price to pay for alternative fuels

Another story about the man coming down on DIY biodiesel’ers, why do these gas saving criminals hate America so much? –

Bob Teixeira decided it was time to take a stand against U.S. dependence on foreign oil.

So last fall the Charlotte musician and guitar instructor spent $1,200 to convert his 1981 diesel Mercedes to run on vegetable oil. He bought soybean oil in 5-gallon jugs at Costco, spending about 30 percent more than diesel would cost.

His reward, from a state that heavily promotes alternative fuels: a $1,000 fine last month for not paying motor fuel taxes.

He’s been told to expect another $1,000 fine from the federal government.

And to legally use veggie oil, state officials told him, he would have to first post a $2,500 bond.

A price to pay for alternative fuels – Link.

Related:

79 year old veggie oil maker – David Wetzel, 79, makes his own fuel from recycled vegetable oil for his 1986 Volkswagen Golf, gets 46 miles per gallon – pretty neat huh? Well, the Illinois Department of Revenue visited and want him to pay a “motor fuel tax” (retroactively) and he might be hit with a $2,500 bond, a class 3 felony and a lot of other awful stuff – or it might just end up being $244 in taxes for the fuel he made – Link.

More:

MAKE AUDIO SHOW: Biodiesel! – Link.

Homebrew Biodiesel reactor plans… – Link.

Make your own biodiesel – Link.

Talented teen transforms cooking oil into fuel – Link.

Veg my ride… – Link.

From the pages of MAKE:

Making biodiesel – The best way to learn how to make your own backyard biodiesel is to start with a one-liter batch. It’s easy to make a small batch that will work in any diesel engine. You won’t need any special equipment–an old juice bottle will serve as the “reactor” vessel–and on such a small scale, you can quickly refine your technique and perform further experiments. MAKE 03- Page 72. Subscribers–read this article now in your digital edition or get MAKE 03 @ the Maker store.