BrevardBioDiesel Blog

Four biodiesel users in various Brevard County locations took delivery of B100 fuel today from BioFuels America Inc out of Ft. Lauderdale.
The delivery truck arrived with around 250 gallons of B100. Each of the four deliveries was for 55gallons pumped into existing drums.
Here is a closer look at the delivery tank:
The electric pump was powered off the truck system. The counter was reset to zero prior to pumping and off we went.
This B100 fuel was Griffin Industries product indirectly thru Ward Oil of Tampa. This is ASTM D6751 certified fuel and the same as two of us have been running for about a year without issues..

This delivery method is convenient. We paid a price of $3.50 per gallon. Thanks to Jim Robertson of BioFuels America. We may not be as exciting a customer as Willie Nelson was for delivery, but will happily use the B100 anyway

This Honda ad won awards recently for its innovative message about clean diesel technology.

More on it from Honda UK and BusinessWeek

Here is a recent real world comparison of a 500+ mile drive using a Jetta TDI vs. a Prius. I noted this section:

The advantage in premium paid for the technology goes to diesel. The premium for a hybrid version of a vehicle is about $3,000. The Jetta diesel is $1,200 more than a gas-powered Jetta. VW's Passat TDI diesel, which just went on sale, is only $205 more than the similar gas model.

And the VW Touareg TDI diesel, also just now on sale, is priced about the same as a similarly accessory-laden gasoline V-8.

This motorcycle is diesel powered. This story mentions the use of biodiesel in said motorcycle.

Here is a collection of questions asked by survey participants at our site:

• What about small equipment ie pressure washers lawnmowers etc? Check out HUGR Systems They are located in Apopka.
• Concerning Green House effects, does the oxygen given off during the growth phase of the plant, make up for the Carbon Dioxide given off when burning the biodiesel? CO2 absorbed by the feedstock plants makes up for CO2 emitted during combustion. There are other CO2 components taken into account (transportation and manufacturing etc) in the overall lifecycle which result in the 78% reduction in CO2 emissions relative to petro-diesel.
• Can my current Toyota Tacoma be retrofitted to burn biodiesel? In theory you could do it, but probably not practical. There are rumours of a 2006 Diesel Toyota Truck in the states?
• How to join/start a local co-op? We're trying to get that going. For example we now have at least 3 consumers that are going to go in on the next bulk buy of biodiesel fuel. Let us know you're interested in participating in that buy.
• Where in Brevard Co. can I buy equipment and supplies for making Biodiesel? Not sure there is any place in Brevard specifically oriented to biodiesel. Check out Biodiesel Research which does have some products and other services. Located in Apopka.
• What I was wondering was how somebody switches from oil to organic diesel. Are there certain steps one needs to take to convert the car? Also, are there any hybrid cars that could run bio diesel? So far there are no consumer diesel hybrids in the U.S. - but a lot of us think that will be the ideal vehicle and they will be arriving in the future. New diesel vehicles should have no problem running biodiesel. Older cars can get there, you should read over items such as this for guidelines.
• Why is it taking some long to get down here in Florida and Orlando? Agreed!
• How to set up a cooperative in the Naples/Bonita Springs area? You probably want to investigate various co-ops out there and pick and choose the components you like. Here are some starters: http://www.corvallisbiodiesel.org/aboutus/ http://www.gobiodiesel.org/index.php?title=GoBiodiesel_Bylaws http://www.utahbiodiesel.org/documents/UBC-Organization.html http://www.berkeleybiodiesel.org/bbc/join.html http://biofuels.coop/membership/membership.php
• How to make it? A starting point to read: http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_make.html
• Do you hold any types of gatherings to exchange info, stories...? Not yet - stay tuned to this site.
• Does VW have any reservations about the use of biodiesel in 2004 1.9 TDI engines? VW of America has announced warrany coverage for use of B5 earlier this year. http://www.admworld.com/naen/pressroom/newspopup.asp?id=316 People are using blends above B5 without problem, but these are not officially covered by warranty - yet.