[geeks] electric cars

[velociraptor]

On 10/23/06, Patrick Giagnocavo <patrick at zill.net> wrote:
> On Oct 23, 2006, at 11:07 AM, Sandwich Maker wrote:
> > the big point for biodiesel is that it is naturally thinner and
> > doesn't need heat, but there's still a problem: wax point.  soy
> > biodiesel is only good to about freezing before starting to form wax
> > crystals; canola biodiesel only a few degrees colder.  wax will plug
> > your filters in no time...  a little bit below that and your fuel
> > turns solid.  i've only seen one co claiming to have an antigelling
> > additive.  barring that, we northerners can't use b100 [100%]
> > biodiesel in the winter.  b20 - 20% bio/80% petro - doesn't have
> > winter problems but of course is only a partial solution.
> >
>
> The two proposed solutions are to either have a heated fuel line, which
> means you have to wait a few minutes before starting your car; or to
> have two tanks, one of regular diesel and one B100 - you then have a
> switch on the dashboard and need to manually switch between the two,
> including switching to diesel a few minutes before you shut off the
> engine.

This is how the some of the "greaser" conversions work--it allows the
most convenient use of veggie oil without the biodiesel conversion
step.  There are some questions as to their impact on durability of
TDI (rail injection) diesel engines, though, since even with
filtering, impurities still get into the engine.

>From my brief readings (I'm trying to find a VW-certified TDI Golf at
a 'reasonable' price...quite the treasure hunt), the recommendation is
that you stick to non-TDI systems if you want to convert.  Even so,
you can get a 'greaser' conversion done professionally for about $2k.
There are also sites cropping up with kits to put VW diesels into
things like Suzuki Samurai's and Toyota's small pickups.  And these
are not new, just getting more attention.

I am going to talk to my brother about the possibility of doing an
engine swap for me.  He's a "rock crawler" and has intimate knowledge
of the Samurai, as that's his 4-wheeling platform--not that it's
recognizable in it's current form. :-)  Though, I'll go for a Toyota
Tacoma conversion if I take that route.  In any case it's just the
kind of weird and unusual project that appeals to his twisted sense of
interest.

=Nadine=