Recent content by ikendu

  1. ikendu

    B99 bad mileage

    Wow! So many questions! 1st of all, making biodiesel out of recycled restaurant fryer oil doesn't require us to grow one extra soy bean. So... no to the tractor, fertillizer, etc. questions for that. 2nd, the soy bean is only 10% oil. 98% of the soy crop is grown for one thing ...to feed...
  2. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    Well, according to James Baker (Secretary of State at the time) it was "Jobs, jobs, jobs". :) http://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/capital-commerce/2007/03
  3. ikendu

    B99 bad mileage

    Costs... This morning I heard a new term on the morning weather "aerial flooding". They defined this as not flooding from streams or rivers ("flash flooding"), but flooding from where the amount of water across an entire county is simply so much that flooding is everywhere. This was from a...
  4. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    It is certainly a complicated issue; the intersection of corporate lobbying, Presidential politics, foreign policy, economic security, fiscal policy, energy policy ...just to name a few. :)
  5. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    I'm interested to know how far you take this idea. Many people will agree that we fought the first Gulf War (after Saddam Hussien invaded Kuwait) to keep Iraq from also invading Saudi Arabia and putting under one man's control, the major oil fields of Iraq, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia combined...
  6. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    Just out of curiosity, other than my supplier, where are you buying fuel where your supplier isn't the beneficiary of some tax credit or subsidy?
  7. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    Nope. This is strictly a community group of like minded folks that banded together and spent their own money to create this capability. We all have our own personal money and sweat equity in this undertaking. Much of the equipment was salvaged or bought used. Why is the word >solar< enclosed...
  8. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    Gallon for gallon, I believe B100 has about 10% less BTUs than regular petroleum diesel. For every unit of energy used to grow, harvest, manufacture and transport virgin soy B100, you get 3.2 units in return. For rapeseed or mustard seed, the ratio is 1:4.3 (better). Since restaurant fryer...
  9. ikendu

    Future TDI models and biodiesel

    Have you noticed that even though the King of Bahrain (His Majesty the King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa) is firing on his own people that we don't say much about it? Do you know of the big naval base we keep in Bahrain? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_Support_Activity_Bahrain U.S. produced...
  10. ikendu

    B99 bad mileage

    I've been thinking about this a little more... Our oil executives testified in front of Congress recently that we had to keep up their tax breaks and incentives because "Americans don't want to pay more at the pump". Well, that's true. When Americans drive up to the filling station pump, all...
  11. ikendu

    B99 bad mileage

    I'm not sure why you switched in the first place. If you want your mileage to go up, then limit your use to B2. It might go up from increased lubricity. There was one study done in Canada that showed that. I've been using B100 for over 8 years in a '03 Golf TDI (at 155,000 miles now). I've...
  12. ikendu

    GM and Tax credit on Volt

    Found this interesting little graph: http://www.eia.gov/energy_in_brief/foreign_oil_dependence.cfm We are now down from 66% imports to "only" 51% imports. Notice from the graph how this was done. Hint: Our consumption in total went down. Did you know that if two people car pool, just 3...
  13. ikendu

    GM and Tax credit on Volt

    Hmm. Well, let's see. We've been fighting in Afghanistan since Oct. 7, 2001 and in Iraq since March 20, 2003. We never raised one dime of taxes to pay for either of these wars. We just borrowed the money (mostly from the communist Chinese). Are you telling me that there is one party that now...
  14. ikendu

    GM and Tax credit on Volt

    Here's a little more of that "Well, maybe...". GE Combines Natural Gas, Wind, and Solar http://www.technologyreview.com/energy/37715/ "The hybrid plant could be the cheapest and easiest way to add renewable energy to the grid." We have abundant supplies of renewable energy here in the...
  15. ikendu

    GM and Tax credit on Volt

    Late night demand is down 40% from the peak at 3 pm. I believe the OP was referring to the comment from another poster about an "over taxed grid". Seems like night time charging when demand is down 40% answers that "over taxed grid" issue quite effectively. As far as using extra energy...
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