How to Shop for a Biodiesel Vehicle

Biodiesel, which doesn't actually contain petroleum diesel but that can be blended with diesel, is an alternative fuel that is made from entirely renewable resources. Biodiesel is gaining in popularity as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels because it is clean burning and produces no carbon emissions. If you think you'd like to run biodiesel in your car, you'll need to shop for a biodiesel compatible vehicle.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Realize that there is confusion about the need to convert vehicles to be able to run on biodiesel. The truth is that any diesel vehicle can run on biodiesel, but cold-climate car owners may encounter problems such as stalling or failure to start due to the fuel congealing in the tank. Conversion kits add a second tank that heats the biodiesel before injecting it into the engine, allowing cold-climate car owners to run biodiesel without such risks. Conversion kits are generally not needed in warm-weather climates.

2. Some car owners have converted their engines to run on straight vegetable oil. There is a misconception that biodiesel fuel is the same as vegetable oil. While vegetable oil is indeed one ingredient in biodiesel, it undergoes a process called testerification to refine the oil. There are also a handful of other ingredients that are added to the vegetable oil during processing to produce the biodiesel.

3. Know that biodiesel can be used to run any diesel vehicle, including cars and trucks. Keep this in mind as you shop for a biodiesel compatible vehicle.

4. Review Biodiesel America's guide to biodiesel compatible cars that are now available for sale in the U.S. If you want to shop for a brand new biodiesel compatible vehicle, this guide will show you which automobile manufacturers are offering diesel vehicles for sale in the U.S. There are tons more biodiesel compatible vehicles available in Europe, but the cost and hassle associated with shopping for a biodiesel compatible vehicle overseas and then importing it into the U.S. is usually prohibitive.

5. Shop for a biodiesel compatible vehicle on eBay Motors, which offers a function where you can enter your zip code, set a filter to find biodiesel compatible vehicles within a radius of as little as 10 miles or as much as 2,000 miles, and voila! A list of ongoing auctions for biodiesel compatible vehicles displays. Shoppers in regions that haven't quite hopped on the biodiesel bandwagon will have to set the radius filter higher than those who live in, say, Berkeley, California where biodiesel is practically mainstream.

6. Keep an eye on the local classified ads. Diesel vehicles go forever--some people claim diesels can log up to 500,000 miles. You can often find good used diesels in the local classifieds. You can also shop for a biodiesel compatible vehicle on Craigslist. Keep an eye on the listings there, or place your own Wanted ad and see if you get any good results.

Tips & Warnings

• If you buy a used diesel vehicle in which to run biodiesel fuel, you should replace all the hoses in the engine first. Biodiesel is a solvent and will eat through old hoses, many of which are probably cracked and deteriorated anyway, in no time.

Resources

• Biodiesel America Car Guide
• Biodiesel Retail Fuel Sites Interactive Map

[jeffmika]

on 1/25/2009 Most diesel vehicles PRE 1993 have natural rubber fuel lines.They will soften over time if you are using a high percentage BioDiesel blend.Cars after 1993 were changed to meet the increasing use of ethanol in fuels to make them compatible with current fuels.SO if you buy a car that is 1993 or newer you won't need to change the fuel lines as they most likely have the flouroelastomer plastic lines that can easliy handle all blends of BD including B100 which I use in my car,a 2000 VW Jetta TDI.I have been making and running this fuel for over a year with no problems. [e-mail]