Break Even Point

Cool. This month marks my conversion cost break-even point point! I started in October '07 and have now filtered and nearly used about 250 gallons of veg oil. This puts me over the $1000 mark for fuel costs saved, which is about what my conversion cost.

I'm left with these reflections... First off, with the right conversion components, WVO can really work in a very cold climate. I've been impressed at how much of the time I can really run on WVO, despite sub-zero (F) temps.

The past 10,000 miles on WVO have also driven home the point of how much fuel we as individuals consume. I've handled each gallon of oil multiple times from the transportation, filtering, and filling my tank and there's nothing like being hands-on to make one realize how fuel is burned. It is deceptive to fill one's fuel tank at the gas pump... it is strictly a TIME>MONEY relationship when the fuel is flowing but we don't actually SEE how much fuel is being used. Maybe there should be a requirement for clear fuel tanks so we could see this direct relationship between driving and fuel consumption. Or maybe just eliminate fuel pumps and each gallon would have to be manually lifted and poured into your vehicle.

My car has enough graphics on it to clearly identify it as being run on veg oil and public reaction has been rewarding. From truckers at the fuel pump, grocery carryouts, and the thumbs up from drivers on the road, individuals seem to enjoy the idea of "beating the system" by running alternate fuels.