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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/17/eveningnews/main1329941.shtml

A decent-looking sports car that goes from 0-60 in four seconds, and still gets 50mpg.

On pure soy-bean oil bio-diesel.

Made by a group of high school drop-outs and no-accounts out of West Philly in their spare time.

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From:

spikedpunch.livejournal.com

Well, let's see... who is going to make the initial investment(s) to set up a new infrastructure to supply said fuel to said vehicles, and while we are working on that, what about the factories to produce the parts for said vehicles, and then said vehicles themselves?
Can't supply new vehicles the new fuel until there are new vehicles to sell to, can't have a egg without a chicken, and can't have the chicken without a egg and so forth...

And then someone is going to raise concerns about safety issues. Hell, if someone can sue for spilling burning hot coffee in their lap, then imagine what you can get for suing after crashing your car, and getting covered in boiling grease? And there is already talk about second hand fat coming from being near someone eating McDee's french fries, then imagine what brewhaha will come from people sitting behind a bunch of these cars on the highway in traffic?

Personally, my interest is up on this, but I see too many things standing in its way to make it go.

From:

wolfwings.livejournal.com

...that's kinda the whole point of bio-diesel. You brew it yourself from soy bean oil you can buy at the grocery store, it's about as hard as making a pot of coffee. You don't need to wait for an infrastructure to crop up.

...and the point is that a group of low-incoming students were able to put this together. I'm willing to bet the most expensive part, far and away, would be that nice shell they made for it. That means it's likely something that can be assembled cheaply as a semi-kit-car, using several off-the-shell parts that are already in distribution and manufactured by other companies.

And bio-diesel isn't kept boiling like in a frech-fry vat. It's kept barely above room temperature, and some types don't even need to be warmed at all. It's still safer than being covered in gasoline, and how often do you know people to get covered in that from an accident in such a way that the 'soaked in gasoline' is their biggest concern? No offense, but that's a load of hooey. There's tons of bio-diesel cars on the road already, and they can run on plain diesel from the gas stations in any case. Bio-diesel is just a home-brew diesel-compatable fuel that burns cleaner (though with a more distinctive smell), in the end. It's not a completely new fuel economy like hydrogen or electric. And all these concerns about safety have never seemed to slow down the kit-car markets that much, if nothing else.

Buy one of these in a showroom? Not a chance in hell. Buy parts and plans for one and assemble it in your own garage? Sounds likely.

From:

spikedpunch.livejournal.com

My reply to you was part valid point(s) and part humor.

I see the need for an infrastructure to produce and distribute the fuel because I do not see Mr and Ms Joe Six-Pack making thier own bio diesel in their own homes. If so many of the customers I work with on a daily basis can not even grasp the simplest of concepts when presented with illustrated diagrams and basic questions, even to just get off their asses to fix their own problem, then I am struggling to see these same people making a routine chore of brewing and pumping on their own. They are going to insist on someone else doing all the messy work for them.

And a kid built a breeder reactor (http://www.dangerouslaboratories.org/radscout.html) in his backyard too. Any one can do anything if they put thier mind to it. They can also blow themselves up along the way too, but that is a side point.

And being covered in boiling oil was a joke. Laugh damn you!!

And I doubt we will see a BD car in any show room soon, but it has started me to think about how something similar could be done.

From:

wolfwings.livejournal.com

Sorry. =^.^= Subtle = Over my head. That, and I've actually heard people give that as a reason why they'd never get a car that "might have bio-diesel in it" so they avoid getting any diesel car at all because of that. The whole 'covered in boiling grease' thing, specifically.

From:

spikedpunch.livejournal.com

It's ok. Humor does not always carry over in text very well.

As much of a technophile as I am, and hopeful about new ideas/technology, I am skeptical about this vehicle. I would like to see the readings from the tests they have done on the road and track with it.
I could say that I get 60 miles to the gallon, and 0-90 in 2.3 seconds in my PT Cruiser, but it is more believable when you actually see it do such feats.

From:

dennisthetiger.livejournal.com

Another interesting point here - it's *almost* as easy as making a cup of coffee, but there's a certain level of complexity to it. All instructions I've seen on line require the addition of sodium hydroxide - and while Joe Six-Pack and company understand that this is not something you can eat, there are going to be some interesting issues with this. Home chem is fun and all, but it can be a bit dangerous....

From:

spikedpunch.livejournal.com

I just see too much potential for Joe Six-Pack doing something stupid with it, or just not being able/willing to do it on their own. Like Smashwolf pointed out, I know he is more than capable of making it himself, but he does not have the time to do it. And I can see someone who is running late for work, and then having to "brew" up a batch of fuel to get them to work.