Few of Dublin Bus fleet using biofuel

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The Irish Times reports today that Dublin Bus has converted just five of its tourist buses to biofuels and is using only 5 per cent biofuel in its engines, despite plans to convert its entire tour-bus fleet more than five months ago.

Usual pathetic performance of the CIE group! In the town I live in all the buses run on biodiesel and have done so for years. The town authorities recently announced that they had agreed to pay SNCF to run 8 duplex trains (double deckers) per hour to serve the town and its hinterland. The town (whose population doubles every day when commuters arrive to work in the area) is actually buying five new duplex electric train sets and donating them to the railway operator.

The electricity for the trains comes from hydro electricity and the towns combined heat, air conditioning and power plant which converts domestic waste and wood pellets into electricity and hot (95C) and chilled (5C) water which is run into every home over a dedicated pipe network. Heat exchangers turn the hot and cold water into heat in winter and air con in the summer, as well as hot tap water all year round.

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nilhg

I am 99% certain that CIE gets a rebate of excise duty on its fuel, biodiesel or PPO is not anywhere near competitive on price with this.
I wonder if CIE raised its prices 10 or 15 percent to pay for biofuel what would the public reaction be?

Edit

Found this on gov.ie

Rebalancing the Bus Diesel Rebate Scheme

22. The current rate of excise duty on diesel is £256.14 per 1,000 litres. As a result of this derogation, the rate which the CIE companies actually pay is £17.90 per 1,000 litres. The Group now propose that this concession only be available, to present categories of beneficiary, for low sulphur diesel (diesel with a sulphur content of 50 parts per million, which is the environmental specification under Directive 98/70/EC for the year 2005 - ordinary diesel has a sulphur content of 500 parts per million currently, reducing to 350 parts per million from 1 January 2000) as and from 1 July 2000. The impact of this would be that to benefit from the tax break, the operator would have to use low sulphur diesel from 1 July, 2000 , with no tax concession for conventional diesel use after that time. This would have a very significant impact on urban emissions and help prepare the market for further use of this product which offers significant environmental benefits. However, the additional annual cost to Dublin Bus alone of purchasing low sulphur diesel is in the region of £1 million. In addition, the Revenue Commissioners have pointed out that policing the use of low sulphur diesel, particularly by companies providing a service under contract to CIE, will be problematic and will have staffing implications for them.

Low sulphur diesel involves a reduction of 90% on the current maximum permitted sulphur content and 86% on the 2000 standard. The use of low sulphur diesel will facilitate compliance with new EU air quality directives on ambient levels of sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, and especially, particulate matter (PM10 and PM2.5) which will be challenging to meet in heavily trafficed urban areas. Particulate matter is emitted by diesel engines and is the pollutant most associated with adverse epidemiological effects on human health, contributing to 6,000 accelerated deaths in the UK per annum. Low sulphur diesel use by "captive" bus fleets (which do about 33,000 miles per annum within heavily populated urban areas) will be very beneficial to maintaining and improving urban air quality. In addition, low sulphur diesel will facilitate the purchase of vehicles with the most advanced pollution abatement engine technologies. The maximum environmental gain will be achieved by the move to the 2005 standard as soon as possible, and this is the purpose of the proposal.

Capt'n Midnight

They have been waiting YEARS just to get badly needed buses that were promised already. If there isn't money for buses, where would they get the money for biodiesel setup.

The population has gone up in recent years.
The numbers of cars on the road has Doubled since 1990
How has the numbers of buses gone up since then ?

Durty Diesel

So I have done some prelimary research on alternative fuels, there is as i understand 2 alternatives

1 Buying straight veg oil (eg rape seed oil) for straight use into a diesel engine. This requires a fitted fuel heater to reduce fuel viscosity. Conversion about E2.5k with the disadvan of your vehicle smelling like a chipper.

2 Acquiring used veg oil (old chipper oil - usually free) and putting it through a home based chemical process that costs money, is time consuming and results in about 1/3 volume of glycerine that needs to be disposed of.

However I have come across a UK company www.longma.co.uk that filters old chipper oil and then encourages a mix of 30% - 50% volume with diesel. This fuel is then used straight with no conversion required. Plus the vehicle dosent stink.

Anyone taking this approach on this side of the pond.

Clare gunner

1 Buying straight veg oil (eg rape seed oil) for straight use into a diesel engine. This requires a fitted fuel heater to reduce fuel viscosity. Conversion about E2.5k with the disadvan of your vehicle smelling like a chipper.

Or about 1k to diy the kit yourself.Not that difficult.Better smelling like a chipper than unburnt diesel,and you dont notice it too much inside.Unless you have a gammy exhaust BTW it is to increase the viscosity,not reduce it.:)

2 Acquiring used veg oil (old chipper oil - usually free) and putting it through a home based chemical process that costs money, is time consuming and results in about 1/3 volume of glycerine that needs to be disposed of.

Called tri esification.Uses two toxic chemicals ,methyl alcohol[wood alcohol] and caustic soda, produces bio diesel ,sludge which is re distillable for more alcohol and glycerine,which has many uses from explosives to health.It is also biodegradeable and harmless if dumped out in the garden.But i would see about finding somone or company who will buy it off you.Making the plant from scrap and junk is possible.Google Bio diesel on the web for rakes of people who build their own stills or sell them.

However I have come across a UK company www.longma.co.uk that filters old chipper oil and then encourages a mix of 30% - 50% volume with diesel. This fuel is then used straight with no conversion required. Plus the vehicle dosent stink.

Scam!!! All they are doing is taking cruddy old chip oil ,cleaning it,selling it to you to DILUTE your Dinosaur diesel in your tank.You can do the same,with old chip oil yourself.Get the solids out,etc,but it must be proper plant chip oil,if it is animal fat,you are looking at a dual fuel kit.

Anyone taking this approach on this side of the pond.

looking at DIYing the manufacture on a small scale for my own use.