I have been fascinated lately by the thought of producing my own fuel. I have in the past converted a Chevy SSR and a Hummer to run on hydrogen. Yes, real hydrogen, not this “Run your car on water crap.” But the big problem with hydrogen is “Where do you get it?” Making hydrogen for fuel use at home is not an option.
So, the next best thing is Alcohol. Yes -- Moonshine. You see, the Oil and Car companies really don’t want you to know that as long as your car is 1985 or newer, you can run Neat Ethanol (Neat Ethanol is just 100% Alcohol) or E85 or even any mixture in between.
In fact, here is a little history tidbit: Ethanol was going to be the fuel of choice for the Model T. The first true flex fuel automobile. Henry Ford was a strong believer that a farmer could grow his own fuel. All you needed was a still and a little grain, and stills and grain were plentiful back then.
Here is where the plot thickens…
Although the temperance movement was gaining in popularity around 1910, especially among Bible thumping women, the movement was little more than an annoyance to hard drinking men. This is where John D. Rockefeller of Standard Oil saw his opportunity to change things in his favor.(Insert maniacal laugh) Henry Ford’s Flex Fueled Model T was not good for Rockefeller’s bottom line. So what is a rich and powerful oilman to do? Fund the Temperance Movement and get a law passed in congress to outlaw the production of alcohol, thus killing your competition. Brilliant!
Rockefellers is believed to have contributed between $350,000 and $700,000 to the Temperance Movement. That is equal to millions today.
On December 18, 1917, the United States Senate passed the Eighteenth Amendment; on October 28, 1919 Congress passed the National Prohibition Act, passed by Congress over President Woodrow Wilson's veto.
Anyway, I digress. Today you can either build or buy yourself a still to make your own Ethanol. Yes, there are still laws on the books, no pun intended, that require you to apply for a permit from ATF (Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms). It is a simple application and once you have the permit you can begin to make your own fuel.
Do a Google search on the term “Ethanol Still” and you will get about a half million hits. Everything from real copper stills to plans to make your own still from junkyard parts to purchasing a complete Plug and Play unit such as the EFuel100 MicroFueler™
Ok, now that I have a way to make my fuel, all I need are the parts to convert my car.
Once again Google “E85 Conversion kits”
Conversion kits have been common in Brazil since the 1970's. Abcesso Technology, a Brazilian company, is now hoping to sell the FlexTek conversion kit in the US through XcelPlus. FullFlex Gold is another kit, from a company based in the UK, and custom tuning kits are also available from companies like DiabloSport in the US. A company called White Lightning also has a kit that is easy to install and UN-install.
The reason for the UN-install is that the EPA has a long-standing prohibition on converting the engine of a standard gas-burning vehicle into one that runs on E85 or other alternative fuels. It seems the Long reach of John D. Rockefeller is still around.
So to sum it up, yes, you can make your own fuel and yes you can convert your car or truck to run on 100% Ethanol and any other blend you would like. With a little time and money you can become independent of the oil companies.
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