Is it possible to drive a car converted to run on vegetable oil year round in Edmonton?
Yes! By adding a second tank in the trunk and modifying fuel lines of a Mercedes 300D the factory diesel engine will operate happily on reclaimed vegetable oil every day of the year. This is a freely obtainable and abundant fuel source where we live – restaurants are glad to get rid of it. Preparing used vegetable oil as fuel takes a few steps and some space in the garage but should not be confused with making biodiesel. No chemical processes or harmful by-products are created in the process. Centrifuging removes particles and moisture from the oil, then it goes straight into the second tank.
Intrigued by fuel cost savings and environmental benefits of driving a car that has less of a carbon footprint than the most fuel efficient Prius was all the motivation Scott needed. The project began in 2008 with purchase of a good used 1987 Mercedes from its original owner family in Wyoming. Mercedes of this era had particularly robust diesel engines that are well suited for conversions and are simple enough to work on yourself. Other needed parts for conversion are available from local stores and the total cost of parts ran about a thousand dollars. Decent plumbing, electrical, and mechanical skills are an asset for doing conversions like this yourself – or kits can be purchased and professionally installed. Scott completed this as a DIY job over several months while driving the car on a daily basis throughout.
A big challenge in our climate is heating the vegetable oil to prevent it from freezing in winter so it can flow through the lines. The goal is getting oil heated to 80 Celsius by the time it reaches the injectors to be the same viscosity as diesel. Adding heat everywhere has side benefits too: veggy fuel lines are heated from front to back of the car which provides comfortable in-floor heating! And pizzas deliveries stay warm in the trunk when placed next to the veggy tank that can reach 60 degrees C. With heat in all the right places Scott can attest to the success of this vehicle operating through the harshest winter days Alberta produced over the last 5 years.
Keeping the original diesel tank for starting and stopping on diesel fuel is necessary. Only once the engine has warmed up the fuel supply is switched over to the vegetable oil tank. Diesel is basically needed only as a starter fluid! Several “fail safe” features in the conversion allow switching back to diesel if something were to go wrong which prevents being stranded at the side of the road. With the two tanks total fuel capacity is 160 litres making non-stop travel distances of 2000 km possible – that’s Edmonton to Denver. There are several practical and economical solutions to problems faced when doing conversions like this but the unique experience of driving a hybrid car “Powered by Canola” makes it all worthwhile!
