From Deep Fryer to Fuel Tank

Leesburg Trolley Runs on Discarded Vegetable Oil

When gas prices soared last summer, John Larson didn't fret. And he didn't buy a hybrid car. Instead, the Leesburg resident whipped around town in his Volkswagen Beetle that was powered by a diesel engine he equipped to run on vegetable oil.

If it worked for his Beetle, perhaps it could work for local buses, Larson reasoned. So he approached Leesburg officials about converting the Town Trolley.

Because of Larson's efforts, the trolley is running on cooking oil discarded by local restaurants -- a green milestone that town and transit officials celebrated Monday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

"You don't see that every day," Leesburg Mayor Kristen C. Umstattd said as she looked at a freshly painted sign on the back of the trolley that read, "Facing The Challenge . . . This Bus Runs on Vegetable Oil."

Larson is a program manager for an information technology contractor. In his spare time, he runs New Life Energy, a small start-up that focuses on helping local governments and nonprofits find renewable sources of energy.

In his pitch last year to convert the trolley, a free bus that shuttles between the town's historic district and the Leesburg Corner Premium Outlets mall, Larson stressed the environmental benefits of using vegetable oil. It burns cleaner than diesel or gas and produces no harmful emissions.

Virginia Regional Transit, which operates the trolley, paid a private company $10,000 for the conversion, said Mark McGregor, president and chief executive of the Purcellville-based agency. He said Larson is charging the transit group $2.65 per gallon for the vegetable oil, which Larson collects and cleans.

The fee is based on the average price per gallon that the agency paid last year for diesel fuel. Because diesel prices fluctuate daily, McGregor said he didn't know how much money the agency might save by switching to vegetable oil. He said the environmental advantages were the key consideration.

"Even if I had to pay a premium for the fuel, we'd probably still" use it, he said.

McGregor said the transit company, which operates and maintains 100 vehicles for 17 jurisdictions, will fuel the trolley with vegetable oil on a six-month trial.

"If reliable sources of oil can be produced here, we're going to approach other localities" about converting their vehicles, he said.

Like Larson's Beetle, the trolley still needs some diesel. But once the engine reaches 160 degrees, the fuel flow from the 40-gallon diesel tank automatically shuts off and a 60-gallon tank that sucks vegetable oil through a heated filter and into the engine is activated.

Larson collects free used cooking oil from Leesburg restaurants such as China King and Downtown Saloon. In a small building he leases from the town, he cleans the oil of food bits and other waste. He said he can produce about 110 gallons of refined oil per hour.

Larson said he hopes to expand his business to other localities interested in powering their bus fleets with vegetable oil.

Meanwhile, he's reaping the benefits of fueling his car with the oil, which he has done since 2006. From May through August of 2007, for example, he spent just $40 on diesel fuel, he said. And during a trip to New York City, his Beetle traveled 561 miles, burning only half a gallon of diesel fuel and about 16 gallons of vegetable oil.

"The tolls cost more than my fuel cost," he said.