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by Erin Huggins

He said he gets the same mileage as diesel-powered cars....

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Vegetables Power California Man's Converted Mercedes

Bob Howerith, enroute between Seattle and his home in California, exhibits his car that runs on vegetable oil. --Eddie Ershbock, photo

Bob Howerth stopped at Imago Dei Community Church on Nov. 12 to demonstrate his vegetable oil-powered car--an '85 Mercedes 300 TD wagon. Howerth imported a system from Europe and converted his car to run solely on vegetable oil.

He bought his car in August 2003 and has fueled it with vegetable oil since October 2003. He said he gets the same mileage as diesel-powered cars--18 miles per gallon in town and 22 to 24 mpg on the highway.

Whereas most people collect oil from restaurants, Howerth belongs to a co-op in northern California that receives unused oil from a large plant known as "the source."

The best restaurant sources are Chinese or Japanese restaurants because they use high-quality oil that they rotate frequently, he said.

Howerth also joined Costco, which sells vegetable oil for $2.30 per gallon. He said sources for collecting oil, such as restaurants, can easily be tapped out. "There's kind of a gold rush for sources--that's why I wanted to get into the system ASAP," he said.

When Howerth started his car during the demonstration, the smell of cooking oil immediately filled the air. "It smells like McDonald's," attendee Elisabeth Bowers of Portland said. The engine purred. No visible exhaust emerged.

Although fuel is potentially free for cars run on vegetable oil, "what you save in money, you make up for in time," Howerth said. "It's about reducing our footprints on God's earth and on the necks of our brothers and sisters in Saudi Arabia."

Howerth said that not contributing to the nation's dependence on foreign oil nor to global warming has proved the best part of owning this car. He said vegetable oil transportation is a "transitional alternative," though, and that bicycling and walking are really the best options.

Howerth said that as he saw more people using vegetable oil, he was intrigued and looked for a vehicle to convert. His friend, Rusty Davis, invited him into a group called Planting Earth Activation and helped Howerth install the Elsbett system from Germany.

Howerth said his car runs off a European single tank rather than the double-tank system common in the United States. Rudolf Diesel, a Frenchman, designed the first diesel motor to run on peanut oil. But as petroleum gained popularity, diesel, which is thinner than peanut oil, became the preferred fuel. So engineers designed engines compatible with petroleum rather than peanuts.

The system Howerth owns modifies the spray pattern of the injectors, which maximize fuel burn and avoid the buildup of materials inside the engine. Howerth said the primary objective when thinning the vegetable oil is heating.

His car has a diesel compression ignition, which combines heat pressure and heavy-duty glow plugs to produce the necessary heat upfront.

When the motor starts, a heated fuel filter warms the oil until the exchanger takes over. The injector tips also compensate for the higher viscosity of the vegetable oil.

Howerth said he heard about Renovo, the Imago Dei ministry that hosted the demonstration, from a friend who attends the church.

"I don't know of any churches that do that," he said. "I do a lot of outreach with non-Christians who are concerned about the earth. People will take a second look at Christians if they know they're interested in the same matters."

Adam Rust, co-leader of Renovo, said the ministry helps him fulfill a sense of responsibility. "We have knowledge, and we have the means of sharing it; the responsible thing is to put together these events to get that information out to the public."

Approximately 15 people attended Howerth's presentation. Jon and Kay Hornang of Portland said they came because they are interested in buying and converting a Mercedes. They volunteer with Renovo and were encouraged by the "demonstration of interest" from fellow Imago Dei members.

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