HELP!!!! My car is HARMING THE FUCKING EARTH!

I really want to know if there is anything that can be done to mod our cars to run anything other than gas. Are there any engine guys out there that can chime in and explain the diff between an acura engine and a diesel? I am completely changing my life around by ridding myself of oil dependance. I'd like to do that by keeping my sweet ass Acura becuase I love it to death. My options include selling the Acura to buy a car with a diesel motor or to buy an all electric like the new Tesla Model S's and the Model X (which are sold out for 2012 and sure to be 2013 as well). As much as I love the Tesla I'd settle with using biofuel in my TL for cross country runs or anything over 320 miles (top range of the batteries Tesla offers).


Check out this video if you wanna know why Im so effing motivated to do this mod if any can be done at all.

http://www.youtube.com/movie?v=v3CBO...&feature=mv_sr

Admin: Please do not relocate this posting to anything other than PROBLEMS/FIXES.

I believe running solely on gas is a "Problem" that we need to "Fix."

 

Ride a bike. Everything else, especially electric is going to pollute.

If you plan to rid yourself of oil dependance, you might want to grow your own garden, drill your own well, get rid of all plastics, your tv, and just about everything made.

 

I value what you have to say and your opinion, however, if you are not going to directly answer my question then please do not answer at all. I plan to do ALOT to minimize my footprint but I'm trying to focus my attention on keeping my current car and running bio fuel in it. Like i said in the first post...if it cant be done I am selling the car and going with something diesel or all electric. You can say what you want about electric becuase it wont change anything in my mind. Electric is the future buddy. Sorry, hate to tell you that. Its going to happen sooner or later. Trust. I dont care how bad you think electric vehicles are for our environment...even if it is...its NOTHING compared to gas and OIL. Nothing you can say will be able to sway my opinion on that becuase its FACT.

Have you even looked up the Model S yet? They use banana leafs and other recycled material..the only bad thing about the car would be the production of the batteries...yes, I am sure it has some drawbacks...but with some advancements..its STILL a better option than stickin with fossil fuels. You really cannot argue that.

 

i've seen pick up trucks running on vegetable oil...of course they were modded. you'd probably have to convert your trunk to accomodate it.

 

dont our cars do pretty well already with ULEV status?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biofuel#Syngas

 

No offense, but the US does pretty damn good with pollution controls. Have you ever been to South America?

As for buying a diesel vehicle, your still keeping your dependency on oil since it's a byproduct of making petrol. As I Hate Cars said, even going to an electric alternative will NOT solve the problem. Power generating stations are run on either some sort of fossil fuel or by trash to steam plants.

Personally, I think if the rest of the world would put some form of EPA regulations on their cars, manufacturing, etc. this would solve a lot of the problems your worried about.

 

oh god.... a tree hugger. This thread is a fail, take this to offtopic>car talk. By the way electric alternative will not solve the problem, do a more research about this buddy. You saw documental about Fuel then radically want to change the system? Follow IHC #2 post.

 

You realize that if you actually want to be sustainable and NOT just be "ecologically trendy" - then buying a new car, ANY new car is a horrible idea.

If you want to really offset your carbon footprint then find an economical old car that someone would have turned into scrap and drive it until the doors fall off.

Going out and buying a new car, ESPECIALLY an electric car means that not only are you allowing the car manufacturer to waste HUGE amounts of energy on creating an entirely new vehicle (remember, more energy gets used to make stuff, not just to putt you around town).

I'm a professional product designer and I can tell you that once you look at any of the factory cities in China you'll realize that buying something new to save the economy is completely and totally ridiculous.

The only thing it does it make people "think" that you're somehow green.

Guess what gets used to power your electric car? Probably coal. And in the vast majority of US power generation clean coal is still dirtier than the CO2 that your Acura with it's multiple catalytic converters is putting out.

You need to read some books and understand that your "fact" of electric vehicles being good for the environment is ridiculous. Call me in 5 years when your first generation lithium batteries are getting thrown into a dump in China. It may not be your problem, but if you fail to understand manufacturing and sustainability which you clearly do you should educate yourself, rather than trying to insist that putting a diesel engine in your Acura will save the planet.

As was mentioned, if you really want to be green then do what millions of people have already done. Move to a city, ride a bicycle, and use public transit whenever that isn't feasible.

Telsa and most other "Green companies" are selling you what you want to hear. Many car companies use Soybean foam in their seats, but "Banana leafs" sounds like the car will fart rainbows.

To answer your original question as bluntly as possible:

If you have to ASK how to make your car not harm the earth, you are morbidly clueless. You are asking how to CONSUME more and USE less, which doesn't exist. Use everything you have as long as you possibly can, and that's how you can help "save mother earth".

The earth is going to be JUST FINE. It's the people who have the problem.

 

No J series can be converted to diesel. No chance in hell of that being possible. You can't legally put a diesel engine in a gasoline car anyway. Buy a new car.

You're all excited because you watched a one sided video. Fact is, the gasoline being burned is MUCH, MUCH, MUCH better for the environment than the coal power plant you would use to charge your "green" car. Seriously, where do you think electricity comes from? You're only moving the source of pollution farther away from you but you're "hurting the environment" more with electric. Then there are the batteries....

Same with ethanol. It takes an equivalent amount of fuel to make it than if you just put it in the tank to begin with.

The only "cure" is to ride a bike. Everything else pollutes. If you're as crazy about this environmental thing as you portray, sell the TL and buy a nice bike.

Do some actual research before jumping off the deep end.

 

Do a more research on about this?? You saw a documental? change what system?
Your comment is a fail. What is a documental? lol

Please, delete yourself country boy. Your grammar says it all. Fuckin idiot.


Moving on...

Taking suggestions on badass diesel engines that I could do a swap with. Ive heard they have some turbo diesels in the Uk..

 

It's easy to convert a diesel to run on vegetable oil. However, gas engines won't run on it. You need compression ignition (aka diesel) to run it. It's not a bad idea, diesel if probably the future. Better mileage and less "bad" emissions.

Very good post! I would not have bother writing my last post if I saw this one first.

People don't take into account the amount of energy it takes to build a new car. You're better off driving your old gas guzzler into the ground before purchasing a "green" car.

I also never understood why whenever gas prices go temporarily up, people start getting rid of their big cars for green cars. Does anyone really believe a $100 difference in fuel prices per month will make up for the $300 new car payment?

That's why when the whole car crushing thing was going on by this administration it just blew my mind that people were actually doing this. I mean, if you want a new car, go for it but if you think you're saving the earth by doing it, you need to educate yourself.

 

You're basing your argument on his grammar? Wow.

YOU CAN'T LEGALLY SWAP A DIESEL IN A GASOLINE CAR!

 

I dont really care about an argument with him to be honest. He can kick rocks. I'm just pointing out his grammar errors becuase its embarassing when you're caught making fun of someone and you sound like an idiot doing it. You make yourself look like a total donkey.

back on topic...

if its illegal than its not an option to swap. This is the info I was after.

I may keep my TL and just buy another daily driver that can use biodiesel. That way I can keep her lookin great all year long. =]

 

^^^this. using your own foot power is really the only way you are going to be minimizing your carbon foot print.

and even then, everything we buy, produce and consume pollutes in some way. even producing and building a bicycle will pollute along with the materials used to produce the shoes to walk in. just less of it.

OP your best bet...trade your TL in for a diesel based car then convert it to veggie oil burning if you wanna take it to the next level of limiting your carbon footprint.

IHC and cyberdemon have valid points.

 

That really sucks...I was totally gonna have a dope ass diesel powered TL for the zombie apocalypse.

 

Volkswagen TDI.

 

Yea. I've seen that one too. Pretty dope. I can say I would not mind owning that one.

 

Loremo debuts 150 mpg concept car in Geneva
http://www.autoblog.com/2006/02/27/l...car-in-geneva/

150 MPG?! Nice. Turbo diesel sure sounds fun too.

 

:ibMovetoCarTalkorRamblingsR&P:

FWIW, I got the TL because it was the most fuel efficient, least polluting and also the quickest 250+ HP mass-produced family sedan at the time.

To reduce your footprint, you can walk, bike or buy a used scooter for those shorter commutes.

 

lol what a huge fail. So I mistype the word documental instead documentary, so what?

Did you get hurt buddy? So, you are raging behind your computer screen and using internet muscle by calling me country boy or idiot?. LOL Get real Mr. grammar nazi and the only argument you have for my post is to attempt to correct any grammar or spelling mistake you observe?

You sir are fucking idiot.

 

umm..... get solar panels for your house. leave the car alone

 

A documental is a portmanteau of documentary and commercial - so he's saying it's essentially a commercial in the guise of a documentary. Not hard when you try thinking about it instead of calling someone a "[sic] fuckin idiot." (speaking of grammar)

I'll bet you're an absolute pleasure in real life. Do you start up conversations at parties just to flame other people? Oh and if you want to save the planet, get out of your car and fucking walk.

 

we're done here.