Business man to tackle biofuels challenge
A BUSINESSMAN has embarked on the most ambitious biofuel rally ever.
Competitors in the Grease to Greece Challenge set off on Saturday to drive all the way from London to Greece in vehicles powered by chip fat, left-over cooking oil, burger van grease and other waste vegetable oil.
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Oil be seeing you: James Hygate MD of Greenfuels, Stonehouse.
James Hygate is spending two weeks trying to cover the 1,500 miles to Athens by begging for every drop of fuel he uses as the rules of the game prevent him from paying for it.
Competitors are relying on the good will of chip shops, restaurants, hot dog stands and even crisp factories across Europe to gather enough waste grease.
The challenge will start at the Ace Café in North London before the teams head off through Europe.
The competitors will pay visits to Germany, Austria, Venice and finally along the Adriatic coast to Greece.
Once in Athens, the teams that make it can look forward to a welcoming ceremony at the British Embassy where they will be presented with the Golden Lard Award.
Cars taking part in the event include a London taxi and a burger van which will supplement its fuel by using the left over grease from cooking snacks.
James Hygate, who runs event sponsor Green Fuels Ltd in Stonehouse, highlighted the purpose of the contest.
"It is a fun event, but it is one we hope will bring more people's attention to biodiesel," he said.
"By teams getting all the way to Athens, we want to prove that biofuel is a cheap and viable alternative to fossil fuels.
"It just means for two weeks, every time we stop at a roadside burger bar we'll be asking for 20 litres of cooking oil rather than a burger with cheese.
"And all the drivers need to take part is a normal diesel car and plenty of cunning."
The participants will be using a FuelPod2, a device developed by Green Fuels.
The technology converts waste into usable biodiesel, which means there is no need for the drivers to convert their engines.
Among the teams of drivers will be eco-adventurer Andy Pag, who travelled 4,000 miles from England to Timbuktu in a lorry converted to run on waste chocolate earlier this year.
3 Comments
by Zinger, Gloucester
Wednesday, August 20 2008, 7:42PM
“Hydrogen fuel cells and even wind turbine power plants are not new as many inventors experimanted with them in the 1950's and 1960's to some degree of success. The oil companies were very interested in those designs and indeed any new technology that has been discovered since. As long as there is oil in the ground we won't be seeing mass production of alternative fuel vehicles any day soon.”
by Lecorche, Gloucestershire
Wednesday, August 20 2008, 10:13AM
“The only Fuel that does not produce any Greenhouse Gas is Hydrogen.
Road fuels carry taxes regardless of the type,so Fat Fuel will also be expensive even though there is no way that Biofuel can be produced in the quantities needed to oust Fossil Fuels.
What we need is a way of producing Electricity in vast amounts cleanly and cheaply as a start to reclaiming our environment.
Until then.Good Luck with the "Fatball Rally".”
by b, g
Wednesday, August 20 2008, 9:24AM
“This type of thing could save families a hell of a lot and if the bio fuels are not greenhouse gases (not sure if they are) then that could help stop the planet from hiting the point of no return in terms of the planets ability to repari itself”