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Erik Whittington pours vegetable oil from Virginia Barbeque into a filter. The filtered oil will be put into a tank in the trunk of his VW Jetta. He still starts and stops his engine using diesel fuel, but the vegetable oil runs it on daily commutes.
Erik Whittington fills a 13-gallon tank in the trunk of his Volkswagen Jetta with filtered vegetable oil. A conversion kit he purchased from Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems lets the car run on both diesel and vegetable oil.
Whittington installed the Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems conversion parts (right) himself. |
By CATHY DYSON
French fries and hush puppies keep Erik Whittington going on his daily commute from Locust Grove to Stafford County.
The 38-year-old doesn't eat them by the pound. He uses the oil they're cooked in to fuel his 2002 Volkswagen Jetta, which has a diesel engine.
He gets used cooking oil from Virginia Barbeque in Spotsylvania County, then filters it several times to remove goo left behind after deep-frying.
Then, he pumps the amber-colored liquid into his tank, turns the key and gets 45 to 48 miles per gallon.
That's the same mileage as with diesel, which was being sold for up to $5 a gallon this week at local stations.
After startup costs of about $2,000 for the conversion kit and filtering system, Whittington hasn't spent a dime on the alternate fuel.
"It's pretty wild," said Whittington, who recycles everything from cans and bottles to batteries and paper. "It's amazing that it works."
Whittington commutes more than 50 miles a day to work. He's the outreach director for the American Life League, an anti-abortion group.
He hasn't noticed any change in power since the Jetta became a "veggie car" three months ago. He goes through oil and fuel filters faster--because there's still some gunk after filtering--and those parts are more expensive.
He still uses some diesel fuel because the engine needs to be started and stopped the standard way. The vegetable oil has to warm up before it's used, then is purged from the lines at the end of the trip with the flip of a switch.
Whittington supports his wife and four children, ages 2 to 7, on his salary, so he's always looking to cut costs. But his reasons for trying another energy source go beyond saving money and helping the environment.
He doesn't like to line the pockets of people who despise the United States.
"I have a problem going to a pump and putting in my card and paying all this money and knowing a large percentage of this is going to people who hate us," he said.
Whittington did a lot of research before he put cooking oil in his car. His search led him to Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems in Easthampton, Mass.
Greasecar sells conversion kits, and the ones for Volkswagens come with customized manuals and DVDs. He bought a used Jetta with a diesel engine, then ordered the conversion kit.
It sat around for months before Whittington worked up the nerve to install it. He has always changed the oil and done minor repairs, but said he isn't mechanically minded.
"I talked with a diesel mechanic one time about this, and it was a little bit over my head," he admitted.
Using the DVD, Whittington installed valves that let him switch to the vegetable-oil fuel tank, which sits in the spare-tire compartment in the trunk. He also hooked up the hoses from the engine that heat the oil before it can be used.
"If you can change your oil," he said, "if you can do some minor repairs on your car, if you can install a garage-door opener, you should be able to do this."
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Email: cdyson@freelancestar.com
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FILLING UP Erik Whittington's "gas station" is in a small corner of his garage. After he collects used vegetable oil in 5-gallon buckets, he pours it through a bag-shaped filter that catches chunks of hush puppies and french fries so heavily coated, they look like chocolate sticks. He stores the oil in a 55-gallon drum. When it's time for a fill-up, Whittington turns on a pump that moves the oil through a motorized silver filter the shape of a 2-liter bottle, only bigger. The oil runs through a hose and into his vehicle. |
| Erik Whittington takes all the oil that Virginia Barbeque in Spotsylvania County goes through in a week, said owner Kim Martinez. She's thrilled her "dirty oil" gets another use and believes other restaurant owners would support the recycling. "All of us throw our oil out every week," she said.
Does his car smell like french fries? No. It doesn't have an odor.
Is this biodiesel? No. Biodiesel is a chemically engineered fuel. Whittington's system uses new or used vegetable oil.
The system works best for those who do a lot of driving, not those who make short trips or drive infrequently, according to Greasecar Vegetable Fuel Systems. Also, the more the oil is filtered before use, the better. Online: greasecar.com |
