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Hemp car to make record 10,000-mile trip
Charles Choi, UPI
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A hemp-fueled car scheduled to begin a record-breaking 10,000-mile trip around North America July 4 debuted Thursday in Washington at a conference devoted primarily to legalizing marijuana.
The car is a white, modified 1983 Mercedes diesel station wagon festooned with colorful hemp-related logos and the Virginia license plate ‘HEMPCAR.’ It is the creation of Grayson and Kellie Sigler, who plan to use roughly 400 gallons of hemp biodiesel during their trip. The trip will take the Siglers through 40 cities over three months, to the West Coast and then back east through Canada. The drive should set a world distance record for a vehicle using hemp for fuel.
Hemp oil converts into a biodiesel fuel fairly simply once mixed with caustic lye dissolved in methanol, a technique which makes the oil less viscous and more combustible.
“Hemp oil can be burned directly, but this is much cleaner,” explained environmental defense attorney Don Wirtshafter, proprietor of the Ohio Hempery, the Athens,Ohio-based company providing the oil. “You get fuel and glycerine from the process, and the glycerine can be used to make soap or candles. We like to use potassium hydroxide as the caustic agent, because it results in a beautiful fertilizer.”
Biodiesels can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat and burn in any unmodified diesel engine. The only modification made to the hemp car was the replacement of rubber hoses with synthetic rubber tubes -- biodiesels erode rubber.
“Hemp oil has the same energy as diesel,” Wirtshafter said. “Whatever your car does on diesel, it'll do on hemp. It's even possible to process hemp for a gasoline engine, but it's more complex.”
When asked why one should use hemp for fuel, Wirtshafter responded, “What humanity is doing on a massive scale right now is pulling carbon out of the ground in the form of fossil fuels and spewing it out as carbon dioxide gas, adding to global warming. Biofuels, hemp included, give us the chance to grow our fuel, thereby living off the energy from the sun rather than spending our 'savings bank' of hydrocarbons. At the same time, like all plants, hemp would absorb carbon dioxide as a natural life process.”
Hemp is legal in some 30 countries, including all of Europe, Canada and China. As a crop, its fiber yields textiles such as paper, cloth and rope, while its oil is used for paint, varnish, lubricants and highly nutritious food. Cultivating hemp has been illegal in the United States since 1937, because marijuana is made from hemp's flowers, buds and leaves. This ban was briefly suspended during World War II, when the United States could not import hemp fiber from the Far East for use in rope.
Hemp legalization advocates argue that the plant is ideal for biofuel use. “It yields about four times more seed oil than soybeans,” Greyson Sigler said. “It grows widely in all climates with little fertilizer or pesticides needed than most crops. It's cheap, drought-resistant and very easy to cultivate. Hemp is, in my opinion, the world's most prodigious renewable resource. It could help California out with its power problems and keep the U.S. from drilling for oil in Alaska.”
Sigler added that biodiesel releases 80 percent less emissions on average than gas.
“There are no sulfur byproducts, although there are slightly increased nitrogen oxide emission, most of which can be tuned out,” he said. Sulfur and nitrogen oxides are pollutants and common byproducts of combustion.
While the conference at which the hemp car debuted was more focused on legalizing marijuana for responsible adult recreational use, the meeting's director, Allen St. Pierre, stressed the hemp legalization debate should expand to include the plant's industrial applications.
“It's just so hard to get beyond the giggle, the public trivialization of this,” said St. Pierre, the executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws. “We call it the 'rope vs. dope debate.'”
“But I have great faith that the pragmatism of big oil companies will move legalization forward,” he added. “You'll start to see a cultural eraser -- it's not the hippies in the park that are asking for it to be legal, but people who will note at least six or seven of the founding fathers were prolific hemp growers, including Jefferson and Washington.”
The hemp oil used for the record-setting trip comes from Canada. Though hemp oil currently costs some $50 per gallon, Wirtshafter hopes legalization could drive the cost down in the United States to as low as pennies per gallon. “We're not going to be economical until we're able to produce hemp oil without our handcuffs on,” he said.
The National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws gave $1,000 to subsidize the hemp car and may sponsor more funds in the coming months. “We were very impressed. We thought they were very well-versed and serious-minded. They weren't full of hyperbole, and they weren't naďve -- they knew this was going to be difficult.”
The Sigler's car is not the first hemp-fueled vehicle. In fact, Gatewood Galbraith, who ran for governor of Kentucky in 1991 on a pro-hemp platform, drove around in a retrofitted Mercedes Benz during his election campaign.
The Siglers expect to get a warm reception during their trip. “Most people are really happy about it,” Grayson Sigler said. “We got truckers blowing their horns and people flashing their lights on the way here. We even ran into some police officers who think it's fun.”
St. Pierre noted that the only distinctive side effect bystanders may experience from the car is “a funky odor. Most people who are familiar with the smell of burning seeds of marijuana will sniff and say, 'Hey, it's an odd smell.'”
Copyright 2001, United Press International. All rights reserved.
Pretty neat
I nwonder who can come up with the best tailpipe sucking joke?
Hemp car to make record 10,000-mile trip
Already been done by Cheech and Chong
St. Pierre noted that the only distinctive side effect bystanders may experience from the car is “a funky odor. Most people who are familiar with the smell of burning seeds of marijuana will sniff and say, 'Hey, it's an odd smell.'”
The "probable-cause" World Tour, complete with pachouli air fresheners hanging from the rear view mirror.
Biodiesels can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat and burn in any unmodified diesel engine.
This is news?
or animal fat
Soylent diesel?
Though hemp oil currently costs some $50 per gallon, Wirtshafter hopes legalization could drive the cost down in the United States to as low as pennies per gallon. “We're not going to be economical until we're able to produce hemp oil without our handcuffs on,” he said.
Not likely. What they're not saying is that hemp is a labor intensive crop, and in countries where it is produced legally and labor is cheap, hemp still has to be subsidized by the government.
I nwonder who can come up with the best tailpipe sucking joke?
It'll take all day to go accross town because of the crowds around your car taking turns sucking on the tail pipe.
I expect it to appear next to the "Bonnie & Clyde" getaway car and in similar condition.
War Against Drugs and all y'know.
and the DEA is trying to make Hemp "products" illegal in the USA even though the product is Specifically EXCLUDED from the laws passed by congress. Can you say "OVERREACH BY AGENCY"? and this is only ONE EXAMPLE.
It is the creation of Grayson and Kellie Sigler, who plan to use roughly 400 gallons of hemp biodiesel (and a 20 gallon barrel of aloe vera gel for burned lips) during their trip.
Hemp car
Does the DEA know about this? Is it legal to import hemp products? This could set the War On Drugs back fifty years. Imagine, something beneficial from an illegal plant.
The ride is superb--you feel as if you are floating on air...really high.
Or maybe the folks behind you feel that way.
In any event, the problem is you always have the munchies while driving, and so does the car.
--Boris
Super Cool....I want to see the car in my area. We can grow a lot of our fuel. They should put some PV panels on roof! Car Manuf should put some PVs into surface of new cars to help charge battery when parked.
What they're not saying is that hemp is a labor intensive crop.
I was puzzled by this statement, so I did a bit of quick research (thanks, Google). What you say is correct, depending on the intended application. Apparently, for textile use, you must leave the bast fibers intact.
For oil, no such requirement would seem to apply, so you could just cut it down like hay.
The main question I would have is whether hemp has any particular advantage over other crops in producing biodiesel.
I do think the hemp production ban is extremely silly.
Biodiesels can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat and burn in any unmodified diesel engine.
If you don't like hemp, find something else.
I know that there is some types of hemp (not the recreational type) that are growing wild in the US. I've been told once it gets started its hard to erradicate.
10,000 miles on 400 gallons = 25 mpg
Not too bad a start. Once again I offer the opinion that all alternative fuel solutions will fail until they can be purchased nation wide and at an affordable price. Localized fuels are foolish. What good is a vehicle that can only be driven in a small area? That is unless the goal is to restrict movement of the people.
"hemp is a labor intensive crop"
The prime "Biodiesel" fuel is human sewage.
It's pre-processed for free, we already have to pay to have it collected, and then we pay to dispose of it.
A big plus is that it smells better than burning pot seeds... ugh!
Right you are.
The original "hemp car":
Sounds like a Magical Mystery Tour to me...
The trip will take the Siglers through 40 cities over three months
It's gonna seem a lot slower than that!
“We call it the 'rope vs. dope debate.'”
Muhammad Ali invented this.
I think the advantage is that it can run in a standard diesel engine without modification. All that needs to happen is for fuel distributors to carry it.
Its news to me.
I had a 1980 Volkswagon Rabbit diesel that consistently got in the range of 50 mpg even when using air conditioning. Any time it got below 48 mpg I started looking for the reason. I wonder if it would get better milage with hemp oil.
Check THIS out, for example.
"While the conference at which the hemp car debuted was more focused on legalizing marijuana for responsible adult recreational use , the meeting's director, Allen St. Pierre, stressed the hemp legalization debate should expand to include the plant's industrial applications."
The crux of the entire article is here, more crap science or using the proper name for "statistics", how to lie with figures and make figures lie.
If God approved of marijuana, conservatives wouldn't have had to outlaw it.
The car is a white, modified 1983 Mercedes diesel station wagon festooned with colorful hemp-related logos and the Virginia license plate ‘HEMPCAR.’ Outfitted with the latest Blaupunkt, it comes with the complete Grateful Dead "dealers" edition library of "long trip" music. The dashboard bong ventilation system is optional.
Interesting. I think hemp can have 4 or 5 cycles of growth per year. From seedling to full plant, about 10 weeks. I think that would be a big benefit over other plants.
Specifically, which "statistics" are you refering to ?
I was puzzled by this statement, so I did a bit of quick research (thanks, Google). What you say is correct, depending on the intended application. Apparently, for textile use, you must leave the bast fibers intact.
For oil, no such requirement would seem to apply, so you could just cut it down like hay.
My Google research a few months ago indicated that hemp was really bad at gumming up machines used for harvesting and processing. If my memory is correct, the price of seeds is also high. Considering that the chemical processing is simple (mix with lye and methanol) the high price of $50 a gallon must come from somewhere. Canada is doing active research on industrial hemp and the only market they've found so far that is profitable for hemp oil is cosmetics.
The main question I would have is whether hemp has any particular advantage over other crops in producing biodiesel.
I saw an article a couple of months ago about research in the UK on the use of elephant grass for fuel, but it is also expensive to harvest and process.
I bet the car smokes ;o)
My Google research a few months ago indicated that hemp was really bad at gumming up machines used for harvesting and processing. If my memory is correct, the price of seeds is also high. Considering that the chemical processing is simple (mix with lye and methanol) the high price of $50 a gallon must come from somewhere. Canada is doing active research on industrial hemp and the only market they've found so far that is profitable for hemp oil is cosmetics
From article:
"Biodiesels can be made from any vegetable oil or animal fat and burn in any unmodified diesel engine." It doesn't have to be hemp. In Iowa and Minnesota they are using soy beans, in Austria the are using recycled fryer oil.
Personally, I think its stupid to illegalize industrial hemp. If it's not profitable to grow, people won't grow it. If it is profitable, then it's another cash crop.
If it's not profitable to grow, people won't grow it. If it is profitable, then it's another cash crop.
OK Mr. Smarty Pants. Take your economics 101 information somewhere else. This is the government you are talking to. We don't care what you think or what makes sense. We'll do what the biggest contributors want us to do whether it makes sense or not.
industrial hemp.
To be used for industrial purposes. Now that is something I could agree to. But running cars? Neat idea I'll admit. But until it can produce the same HP a gas engine can, I'll wait
My friend, driving the car 10,000 miles will go a long way towards proving if it can be done. It will be very interesting to see if it works. If it does, I expect you will see Europe pushing heavily into this concept shortly thereafter. They are very dependent on foreign oil and they are much more liberal in general on the issue of hemp.
They also sell a lot of deisel engines. Mostly because deisel fuel doesn't have the high taxes that unleaded does.
If hemp oil gets 25mpg, hash oil must get 100 mpg. Or more.
But see what I'm afraid of is that this is just another electric car. Great gas mileage and all, but I don't see any 300-400 horsepower engines coming out either. Forgive me, I'm just a Southern boy and if it doesn't have that power that can throw you back in the seat, I just don't see the use.
And I realize that the rest of the world is moving away from that, but that doesn't mean I really like it
see www.biodiesel.org. Biodiesel is in widespread use throughout the US. It delivers the same performance as regular diesel in unmodified diesel engines. They even have standard plane that flies on a mix of biodiesel and Jet A.
It runs in unmodified diesel engines. Biodiesel is already in wide spread use in the US, in standard engines. See www.biodiese.org
Already been done by Cheech and Chong
Yeah, but this time it might actually be funny.
I had a 1984 Nissan Sentra Diesel, and my experiences mirror yours. I got roughly 50 mpg, and power was adequate. Yeah, it slowed down a bit (45-50 mph) on steep hills (but not as bad as a diesel Rabbit :-)), but it had enough get up and go for me. It could spin the front tires pretty good.
I got 267,000 miles out of that car before the head cracked, and I decided not to try to keep it going.
I'd like to see diesels make a comeback, as I think it is a superior engine design.
Yeah, it slowed down a bit (45-50 mph) on steep hills (but not as bad as a diesel Rabbit :-))
Funny you should mention that. The only ticket I got while driving my diesel rabbit was for going seventy up a hill. I thought that it wasn't running well so I accelerated going up a hill. A highway patrol officer was coming the other way as I got to the top and just happened to have his radar on.
You are right, It did slow down on inclines unless I gave it more throttle. It would slow down about three mph on freeway overpasses unless I appllied more throttle.
Hemp Oil - Is this anything like hash oil?
No, I am serious folks...
If so, what would be the effects on the drivers behind you on the thruway-
I am not kidding, folks... I mean this seriously...
Oh, and I wonder if it would cut down on 'road rage' ...("like, hey man, you dented my fender... that's cool...")
OK, but I really am serious about the first two questions...
"I'm just a Southern boy and if it doesn't have that power that can throw you back in the seat, I just don't see the use."
billbears! As a Southern boy, is there not some very fast growing weed, vine, thingy called (spelling alert) Cudzu, Kudzu ????? growing down south?.
There had been some thoughts of using it for paper, textiles etc. I believe it had an astounding growth rate which, if the same process being discussed here would apply, would produce more raw material than hemp.
Henry Ford predicted we would some day fuel our cars with plants that grow beside the road, so it is not a new idea. No, I wasn't there when he said it!
Son, you can come down here and have all the Kudzu you can carry. I don't care what you do with it. I don't care where it came from except if I can find the ancestors of the people who planted it, I know a whole group of folks that owe them a smack upside the head. The only thing I ever knew Kudzu was used for is frying it and only every once in awhile.
That would be pretty cool to be able to grow your own... fuel I mean.
(j/k!!!)
I wonder the emissions these things emit and what kind of power they provide...
That big cloud of smog that looms over LA would make LA "the happy people".
A hemp-fueled car scheduled to begin a record-breaking 10,000-mile trip around North America July 4 debuted Thursday in Washington at a conference devoted primarily to legalizing marijuana.
Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid!!!!!
Now, in the minds of those who notice, they're marrying this project to an image of pot-smoking Dead-heads. All they've done here is to marginalize a worthy idea.
Stupidest damned PR stunt I've seen for a long time.
Great gas mileage and all, but I don't see any 300-400 horsepower engines coming out either.
Dude... it's all a matter of design. What you ask for is entirely possible.
For example, you can plunk that fuel right in the tank of a Dodge dually with a Cummins turbo diesel... and it'll set you back in the seat.
Or, for that matter, you can run it in an 8V92 Detroit. If you happen to own a Greyhound bus, this stuff will power it.
If your needs are more along the lines of a daily commute, just buy yourself a VW Passat TDI. Plenty zippy even by gas car standards.
Oh my needs are along the daily commute but they also concern that my daily commuter is also my track car(drag track). The engine is not completely legal but I've never had it checked at inspection time. So the only thing that has to be changed when I go to the track is the back tires to slicks. And I will give up gas mileage for performance any day. But I will NOT give up nor do I ever care to give up performance for gas mileage
Oh.
Well, in that case, you can most likely thin the biodiesel with a touch of gasoline and substitute it for JP-4 in a turbine engine.
Not that you'd be likely to drive your torch to work...!
It's made from industrial hemp, no THC
"Son, you can come down here and have all the Kudzu you can carry. I don't care what you do with it."
Well thanks for the offer but I'll pass.
I just thought there was a possibility of turning a lemon into lemonade!
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