Austin Biodiesel

[UberVW_TDI]

Thank you everyone for the information.

I'm glad I found somewhere around Austin to buy quality biodiesel. I stopped by Ecowise today and bought 3 gallons.

One of the main reasons I chose a diesel is the great gas mileage and to reduce my usage of fuel (previous vehicle was a 15mpg truck)...running biodiesel just makes sense.
For now I'll run B5 (Thanks for the information Neurot).
I wish I could run B100.

Today was the first I had even seen biodiesel. Amber color, even smells kind of good...compared to regular ULSD diesel #2.

 

[savowood]

So if I understand this correctly, to get B5 from B100, you have to fill 13.75 gallons of dino juice and three quarts of B100 from Ecowise. Does that make sense? Bio Buddy (iPhone App) shows several options in the area. Signature on 71 in Del Valle, a Shoppers in Pflugerville, Johnson Oil in Pflugerville, and Signature on 71 in Cedar Creek all seem to have B5. El Sol and Eco-Wise have B100 according to the app, but I don't necessarily want to mix my own.

Also, it seems there's a large number of "us" here in Austin. When I say here, I mean in the general vicinity. And technically, I'm not here just yet. I'm signing a rental agreement on a house at 8:30 tomorrow morning. What sorts of fun events are "we" doing around here? Anyone doing track stuff with their TDI? I'm planning on taking mine over to DriveWay Austin shortly after I get here (move-in date is July 7th).

 

[cvairwerks]

What's the current price on B100 down there? I'd like to start working towards running my bug on B100, but need to find a source for now til I can brew my own. I currently go through about 70 gallons a month on average.

Craig

 

[Neurot]

Savowood:

Regarding how to get B5 from B100, you have it correct.

Regarding locations - there is ONLY ecowise. None of the others carry any kind of biodiesel whatsoever, and most likely never will again. I've tried many times to get in touch with every list maker i can find, and they either don't care or don't believe that there is so little biodiesel in Texas.

 

[Neurot]

The price of B100 is $4.95 right now. The price of used cooking oil is around $2.25, plus $1 in refining costs, $1 in credit card fees and markup between production and retail, and transportation. When the biodiesel tax credit comes back (they are voting today), it will drop immediately by $1. We hope the price of used fryer oil will drop back to a more normal level as well, and get us back down to $3 - $3.50 per gallon over the summer.

 

[runonbeer]

I thought only first use oils got the full dollar. Is UCO gonna get it this time around?

They ought to give biofuels a dollar for every gallon of oil in the gulf

 

[Neurot]

It's been getting the full dollar since Jan 2009. they bumped it up to match regular oil. For once, they got something right!

 

[ragamffn]

This is an old article but it states very clearly and accurately exactly what has happened to biodiesel in Texas.
TCEQ NOx Biodiesel (out cold-hehe)
B5, B100, and B20 addivized with Oryxe super special NOx additive are the only blends allowed.

This seems to be the current link for the article...
http://www.cleanhouston.org/engbiodiesel .asp

 

[runonbeer]

A timely bump. I just took delivery of some B100 at my shop. It is $4.55 per gallon. I don't really keep regular hours down there so you'll have to call ahead and schedle an appointment to meet me. Unfortunately I will be out of town for a week and then only back after that until 8/4 when I head to Alaska to finish up the salmon season.

 

[Zlartibartfast]

....B100 ... $4.55 per gallon. I....until 8/4 when I head to Alaska to finish up the salmon season.

dollar short & day late again...

I believe bio is better, even if you're paying a little more.


eco-wise

 

[runonbeer]

Recent diesel green blog entry:

http://dieselgreenfuels.com/blog/?p=70

sorry, can't do hyperlinks on my phone.

 

[Zlartibartfast]

"............at this time, it is NOT our fuel being sold at Ecowise."

woah dude...

and the tank at Eco-Wise still reads "DieselGreen Fuels".

that's misleading.....

 

[UberVW_TDI]

Strange that biodiesel is struggling so much. Hopefully this will not be the case in the near future.

How do I know what I'm buying at Ecowise now?

The best alternative place I could find is Houston Biodiesel.
http://www.houstonbiodiesel.com/index.htm

Or maybe have 5 gallons shipped to me from hyperfuels?
http://www.hyperfuels.com/storename/highfuelsn/dept/81047/ItemDetail-8889687.aspx

All I want is a place to buy quality ASTM D-6751 spec B100 so I can splash blend B2. Is that to much to ask? Especially in Austin of all places. Geez....

 

[Mach1]

Uber..I have purchased from Hyperfuels, recomend them, they also have palm and canola(sp) virgin oil, which blows the heck out of the street bio-recycled fry oil...

 

[Neurot]

You should ask Ecowise about their biodiesel by calling, emailing, or going by in person. They can tell you if they have biodiesel, and if so, where they got it and what the feedstock is, etc. I hope that the situation there will be resolved very quickly, and we can go back to business as usual.

 

[velociT]

Especially in Austin of all places. Geez....

Austin is going down the drain...

(in case you haven't noticed)

 

[U235]

Is there any update to where I can acquire B100 in Austin? Is Ecowise still the only outfit. A google search yielded Austin BioFuels as having B20 and B100, but based on this thread, it sounds as if that may not be accurate.

 

[Neurot]

Yes, Ecowise is the place to get B100. Whatever google search you found is showing out of date information. There is one site in particular - whipnet something or other - that has been there for years and completely ignores all requests for them to update or remove the old stale info.

 

[runonbeer]

By the way guys, I'm back from Alaska. I've still got a bunch of B100 down here.

 

[U235]

By the way guys, I'm back from Alaska. I've still got a bunch of B100 down here.

Where's down here.

 

[runonbeer]

At my shop. Directions on my website, linked in my sig. Call me up if you want to come down and get some (phone # on website also)

I have conflicting info on the price. I've been charging myself $4.55 but Jeff Plowman told me that Jason only wants $4.25. It is not my intention to add a margin, I'm not in the fuel biz anymore

I'm just stoked to have it available.

 

[U235]

Thanks, unfortunately I'm up in RR and don't get down there too often, but I'll try to get down there someday.

I think a local place by me, Johnsons Oil sells B20. I was thinking of just buying 5 gallons of that at a time and then splash mixing like a gallon of B20 for every full tank. Does that sound like a reasonable plan?

 

[runonbeer]

I put 3.5 gallons of B100 in every tank. This results in a ~B20.

If Johnson oil does indeed sell B20 (somehow I doubt that they actually do) then I would just fill up! B20 is awesome.

Of course it depends heavily on what kind of car you drive and where johnson oil gets the biodiesel they blend with. For instance, I would not use B20 in a CR TDI engine (at least not while under warranty). And I wouldn't put B20 made from Smithfield Farms "Choice white fat" biodiesel. That stuff looks nice, but it cloggs filters in a snap for some reason and freezes solid if you look at it funny etc etc...

 

[fxstb03]

Hello, looong time lurker, first time poster. I also live in Round Rock and have been wanting a TDI (for the last 5 years), but haven't been able to convince myself, with the various MY specific issues. However, if the HPFP issues are either purely random or lubricity related, I found out something today that is (at least) a check in the "plus" column. I stopped by TexCon (behind the Shell on Grand Avenue) and they do NOT have any BioDiesel. But, Johnson Oil, just down the street, does have B5. Not sure where the Bio comes from, but at a 5% blend, would it really matter? Anyway, that was good to know that I can find B5 and it is on my way home. They are only open from 7a to 5p, though (M-F), but I usually go by there around 4:30p, so should't be a problem. The price was 2.90, so not bad (D2 is typically 2.85 - 2.89 lately).

Still looking for more "plusses" before I can satisfy my analytical side, as opposed to my "but, that's what I want" side.

 

[Neurot]

I would say not to buy a TDI for B5! Dirty diesel distributors like Johnson Oil only offer it sporadically, so you'll never be sure you can get it.

B5 meets the technical specification for diesel itself, so all diesel could be B5 and not be labeled at the pump. This is different from gasoline, which must be labeled as "might contain up to 10% ethanol".

You should ask Johnson Oil where their bio comes from. It's likely that they really aren't using B5 at all, and that it is mislabeled. They are opportunists and invested in a plant years ago, then got out when there wasn't enough money in it for them.

 

[UberVW_TDI]

For the 2.0 CR TDI engine (CBEA, or CJAA), I'd recommend buying B100 and splash blending quality ULSD to make B2 or B5. Biodiesel is great for increasing the lubricity of ULSD. Hopefullly VW will change their post injection technology to enable higher percentages of Biodiesel in future models.

 

[jseeley]

bumping this thread from the past...

Anyone going to this?

Biodiesel Bash - Saturday, May 21 · 2:00pm - 6:00pm

DieselGreen Fuels
Sustainable Biodiesel Alliance World Headquarters
777 Shady Lane #14 Austin, TX

Join us for local beer, some food (details to be determined), and conversation to celebrate sustainable biodiesel in Austin.

http://dieselgreenfuels.com/blog/?p=126

 

[runonbeer]

Oh, yeah. Guess I should have told you guys about this

Come on out! Let's get this thing going!!!

 

[Lightflyer1]

Ecowise also seems to be selling B100 again as well. I thought Austin was dry until I found out today they are selling again. On par with D2 if using cash.

 

[runonbeer]

I have Dieselgreen B100 down here at my shop again. $3.75/gallon. Cash, check and credit card.

Call ahead please. I'm usually down here but not 100% of the time.

I should also mention that this is a consignment arrangement with dieselgreen and I take no margin or ownership of this fuel.