(business) Automakers Give Biodiesel a Boost, page 1

As concerns about peak oil, Iraq and Ukos continue to rise, auto manufacturerers are beginning to look at new alternatives. With fuel cells still unwieldy and uneconomical, more and more are turning to biodiesel. Now, big 5 manufacturer Daimler Chrysler is planning to fill the tanks of its cars with fuel made from vegetbles.

www.wired.com
Environmental activists and farmers have been the primary advocates fueling the demand for biodiesel, but newfound interest from automakers could ignite the movement to replace the petrol in your gas tank with fuel made from plants.

Biodiesel is commonly made from soybean, vegetable or rapeseed oil, and can be used by vehicles with diesel engines. The consumption of biodiesel in the United States grew from 15 million gallons in 2002 to 25 million gallons in 2003, according to the National Biodiesel Board. Buses and trucks used the overwhelming majority of biodiesel, largely because until recently Volkswagen was the only auto manufacturer selling diesel passenger vehicles in the United States. Big Five auto manufacturer DaimlerChrysler recently took steps to seed consumer interest in biodiesel. The company said this month that it would fill the tanks of all its new Chrysler Jeep Liberty vehicles with biodiesel. DaimlerChrysler will fill the vehicles with B5, which mixes 5 percent biodiesel with diesel fuel.

DaimlerChrysler believes that biodiesel could provide up to 20 percent of the fuel for diesel vehicles in Europe, according to prepared statements released Thursday by Herbert Kohler, head of vehicle body and drive systems at the company. Kohler said DaimlerChrysler is helping to create a new biodiesel fuel using biomass, including wood, straw and corn waste.

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While biodiesel is not the solution to the problem, its use could well relieve some of the pressure on the worlds oil supply giving the west more time to develop alternatives.

[edit on 30-9-2004 by Banshee]