In this section…
Envirocar Limited
This company has developed a computer controlled technology which can be easily fitted to fuel-efficient diesels to enable them to run on recycled and filtered cooking oil. This bio-fuel is supplied by the company at 70c/litre and is a wholly renewable transport fuel.
It is true that the bio-fuels these vehicles run on still contain carbon and hence still release that into the atmosphere when the fuels are combusted. However, that carbon content is entirely the result of carbon originally absorbed from the atmosphere when the oil plants were growing.
Hence the fuel combustion process is simply part of a sustainable resource cycle and adds no net carbon to the atmosphere. The converted vehicles do, however, have a small secondary fuel tank for mineral diesel for initial start-up and run-down and so to that extent are not entirely climate neutral in their fuel use.
As part of the installation of conversion kits Envirocar supplies customers with a 1,000 litre fuel storage container that they deliver full of fuel to the clients property.
Despite the appeal of this technology it does face limitations at present. Currently the most economic bio-fuel is recycled cooking oil, although this is in limited supply relative to total transport fuel demand. Outside of that there is the prospect of growing oil crops specifically for transport fuels, which is happening increasingly overseas. Howeever, there are valid concerns about the effects of such developments on the environment and food prices in the developing world.
When Prometheus was approached earlier this year by Envirocar for a modest working capital loan we were pleased to support this relatively new company. Although there are no single or simple solutions to our looming energy crisis and rapidly rising carbon levels in the atmosphere, Prometheus is keen to support any business that is working to reduce New Zealand's petroleum dependence and the ecological footprint of our transport system.
For more information about Envirocar go to www.envirocar.co.nz