One serve of fish and chips, to go

Weekly Times
Wednesday 13/2/2008 Page: 75

If Marcus Deuchar had his way, cars would run on waste vegetable oil and small communities would run their own fuel co-operatives. A sustainable future, according to Marcus, depends largely on the empowerment of communities. He would like to see a time when community-controlled fuel cooperatives replaced the corporation dominated industry that exists today. The co-operatives would follow a Bendigo Bank or IGA business model to allow profits to go back into the community. "This money would benefit local people directly; it would go into the local footy club or an environment group," Marcus says.

He and his partner, Christina Reeves, operate VegieCars, a Belgrave-based company which helps people convert their vehicles to run on waste vegetable oil. VegieCars is one of the innovative businesses on display at the Wonthaggi Energy Innovation Festival, to be held from February 29 to March 1 and culminating with a human-powered Grand Prix on March 1-2. The festival will provide information on what people can do to reduce their environmental footprint. Topics include the latest on renewable electricity, natural gas, wind energy and a discussion on the controversial desalination plant. According to Marcus, converting a car to run on waste vegetable oil can help save the planet by reducing greenhouse emissions, as well as being cheaper to run.

He runs his Nissan Patrol on waste vegetable oil he gets from a fish and chip shop for 30c a litre. Marcus says three years ago he and his family drove 3500km to northern NSW using vegetable oil they obtained from fish and chip shops along the way. "Most shops were happy to give me the oil and the total fuel cost was less than $100 - and that's towing a caravan," he says.

So how do people go about converting their car? The traditional way of converting an engine is to install a second tank, so that the car can start on diesel fuel and later switch to waste vegetable oil. The problem with vegetable oil is that it solidifies when it gets cold and can damage the engine unless it is heated to about 70C and stays hot when it reaches the injectors. Marcus, with a little help from his friends, has developed a cold-start kit that enables a diesel fuel engine to run on waste vegetable oil without the need for a second fuel tank.

The result is an inexpensive conversion that can be added to, and improved gradually. Marcus says installing the kit is simple and can be done by people with no mechanical expertise. "Most of my customers are people who like to tinker with the engine and prepared to find a reliable fuel source, such as their local fish and chip shop, but increasingly we are getting inquiries from people who want the conversion but don't want to have to look for the fuel. So we are looking at setting up co-operative refuelling points by matching groups with partners looking for a green image," he says.

More details, visit www.vegiecars.com.au For details on the Wonthaggi Energy Innovation Festival, phone (03) 5657 3108.