[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by AlexanderB

I'm kinda on the fence, the biggest indicator that something is going wrong is the price of vegetable oil in supermarkets. This used to be a few cents a bottle, but is now always a few cents above the diesel price.

That's why I'm favorable to using non-edible crops cultivated at brownfields, along other non-conventional plants such as sea-aspargus that can grow on the coast and get irrigated with saltwater, or eventually in any vacant lot where it can be irrigated with wastewater contaminated with organic residues (thus avoiding the need for artificial fertilizers that are expensive and widely used for commercial crops). Animal carcass fats from butcheries and slaughterhouses, and even whitefish liver oil, are other viable options to use as a feedstock for biodiesel.

Makes sense, the thing is, we have some pretty big refineries sitting in our port, and they literally have a 200 ft flame out the stack, burning off waste LPG/Methane. So the LPG fuel is considered a byproduct/trash anyway, driving on it is already miles better than just setting it on fire.

Here in Brazil it's mostly used as a domestic and industrial fuel. Forklifts and a handful of tractors are the only "vehicles" I know that are allowed to run on LPG.




Notice the LPG tanks.

We do have CNG, but after the region of our country where NG is extracted started to experience earthquakes, NG prices have gone up and the acceptance of NG has gone way down.

Sounds like a good excuse for turning to biomethane/bio-CNG, which AFAIK is already commercially available at some fuel stations in Germany and Sweden. There are also at least 2 fuel stations operating in my country with bio-CNG too, and there are plans to blend it into the NG stream at least in my state and in São Paulo.

LPG is dead easy, and honestly, not scary. The pressure in the LPG tank is not all that much, and (at least here) all the components need to be safety-marked, so you know its all rated to take the pressure safely. CNG on the other hand is easily 20x the pressure, and personally scares me a little more, though as long as decent components are used should be safe just the same.

CNG is actually more than 10x the pressure, but not 20x. Anyway, CNG kits usually get more safety features, it also dissipates into the atmosphere quickly in case of a leak and usually stands to higher temperatures before exploding.

Here, LPG and CNG installs need to be checked by our national institure for measuring and checking things (TNO) to make sure they comply with safety and emissions requirements. These tests are done (at great expense) for specific parts/vehicle combinations by the manifacturers of those installations, and once tested, the same combination of parts can then be installed in those vehicles by a licenced installer. Lots of "you can't do it but we can because we paid to get a permit" going on.

It's quite different here. Conversion kits are certified too, but each vehicle must be assessed individually after the conversion to ensure its compliance to the standards.

There are two exceptions, but they come at a price, the price is in the form of triple-road-tax (similar taxation level as diesel cars.)

It doesn't happen here, and actually in some states (well, at least in Rio de Janeiro) a vehicle converted to CNG is benefitted from a lower taxation.

If your vehicle is from before 1/7/1990 you can DIY the install (as long as you have it inspected at a tech station afterwards.), however, you're still gonna pay the triple tax. Especially painful for classic car owners, the tax exemption for classic cars was recently changed to only be for petrol cars, and be full price for LPG and Diesel, because "if you use those fuels you're just driving a classic to save money and you're not a true car enthousiast, so you should pay tax like everyone else". Really nice towards the single-digit-MPG american classics, classic Mercedes'es and 4x4's. Not!

It's really stupid to keep the tax exemption only for the gasoline-powered classics. Anyway, why would a classic car enthusiast be supposed to not care about fuel consumption, and eventually about the environment, considering that older tech is often easier to adapt to work on alternative fuels that have a cleaner overall footprint?