With rising gas prices, growing dependence on foreign oil and poisonous emissions polluting our air, many people have been searching for an alternative to fossil fuel to run their cars.
Tom Marier, owner of Laurelhurst Oil, a membership-based gas station located at 4550 Union Bay Place N.E., has installed a new biodiesel fuel pump because he believes this natural fuel is a better solution to America's petroleum problems than the increasingly popular hybrid cars, such as the Toyota Prius.
The pump is a small, white box, like all the other gas pumps, but instead of dispensing fossil fuel, it fills drivers' tanks with a fuel derived from vegetable oil.
Cleaner-burning fuel
Biodiesel fuel is created from agricultural crops such as soybean, corn, rapeseed or canola. It can be used to run all vehicles with diesel engines made after 1990. Older vehicles may require engine alterations.
Because of biodiesel's composition, running pure biodiesel can reduce hazardous emissions by almost 70 percent, according to Build-ingGreen.com.
Miles Richardson, general manager of University Volkswagen in the University District, said the exhaust smelled like a McDonald's restaurant.
"My 24-valve, turbo-charged diesel truck burns cleaner than [KIRO Radio host] Dave Ross' Prius," Marier said with a laugh.
Marier emphasized that biodiesel allows Americans to be socially responsible without changing their lifestyles: It decreases our dependence on foreign oil, helps the environment and benefits the American economy.
The plants for Marier's oil are grown in the Midwest. He hopes to see farmers in Washington state grow these crops, because along with stimulating our economy, locally grown plants for biodiesel fuel would lower the cost by reducing the shipping expenses.
As of Monday, June 13, diesel fuel at Laurelhurst Oil cost $2.39 per gallon and biodiesel fuel cost $2.96 per gallon.
"I'd love to use biodiesel, but it'd probably cost me $100 to fill up my tank," Carl Hatcher said while he pumped diesel into his F-250 super-duty Ford truck.
Marier expects the price of biodiesel fuel to drop considerably over the next few years. In the Midwest, biodiesel prices average $2.19 per gallon.
For now, to reduce the cost, many of his customers blend biodiesel with diesel in a variety of ratios. The most common is called B20, which is 20-percent biodiesel and 80-percent diesel.
Growing in popularity
Automakers such as Volkswagen are still testing its effects on car engines.
Volkswagen recently announced that it would honor the engine warranty on its cars if the drivers used a B5 biodiesel, which is a mixture of 95 percent diesel and 5 percent biodiesel. Richardson expects the percentage of biodiesel allowed by the warranty to increase as Volkswagen learns more about this fuel source.
Marier, who fuels his truck with pure biodiesel, explains that every little bit helps.
"It's like donating to the American Lung Association. Maybe you can't give them 1,000 bucks, but you can give them 10 [dollars]," Marier said.
Despite the higher price that Seattle customers have to pay, Richardson said that Direct-Injection Turbo Diesel (TDI) cars have rapidly grown in popularity because of biodiesel. In fact, 90 percent of the people who buy these cars plan to use biodiesel fuel.
"Environmentally friendly people with the green approach are looking at biodiesel as a great opportunity.... TDI cars have moved from 10 percent of sales to 50 percent of our sales," he said.
Political support
Biodiesel has recently received a lot of support from politicians.
President Bush recently toured a biodiesel plant in Richmond, Va., and has been advocating this fuel source in his new energy plan.
U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Washington) also plans to incorporate biodiesel fuel in her new energy plan by increasing production crops used for biodiesel in the Northwest.
In a press release, Cantwell said, "We need to recognize that biofuels are part of the answer to curbing our nation's dangerous over-dependence on foreign oil.... I'm working to create ways for Northwest consumers to pay less at the gas pumps by providing other affordable options. "
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