Few industries have suffered so badly from a veritable sea of external forces as the automotive industry in the last 10 years or so. Certain sectors of the industry had been slow to catch up with trends through the 80s and 90s, and had become too reliant on multiple vehicle ranges and inefficient practices. The industry has been hammered by increased foreign competition, burgeoning fuel prices, regulations, environmental issues and the great recession.

The Clean Air Act was revised in 1990 and dictated that fuels should be more sustainable and particularly that petrol diesel engines be replaced with low sulphur options. At that time, certain states had already restricted diesel engine sales, but this situation is likely to rectify as diesel pollution now slows. However, other factors were also at work and the terrorist attacks of 2001 only served to remind us how we relied on far-off foreign countries for our fuel needs. Our energy security, our environmental health and our economic efficiency began to demand that we look for alternative fuel sources.

In modern times, diesel engines and their internal components are much more able to cope with low sulphur diesel and biodiesel fuels. These days, biodiesel fuel is starting to gain popular acceptance and production has grown by 700% over the outgoing decade.

Following this recession, the auto industry in the US has significantly changed. One of their big three manufacturers is now owned by a European company, Fiat, and it seems likely that we will see an influx of vehicles based on European platforms and wholly more efficient than what we have seen there previously. Diesel engine cars are very much in evidence in European countries and there is no reason to assume that we will not see a pick-up in sales there as well. While this happens, biodiesel, as a reliable alternative will undoubtedly push forward as well. Biodiesel may compare to conventional diesel, price wise, but the former represents a better option for the health of both our people and the planet.

Biodiesel is not an experimental fuel as some believe. It is the only fuel fully certified by the EPA and can be traced back to the 1930s. Auto manufacturers welcome the use of biodiesel in their diesel engine vehicles as long as the biodiesel is manufactured to internationally accepted standards, and its use will not void an engine warranty, for example. Conversely, biodiesel use is likely to result in a longer-lasting engine as it has a much higher lubricity when compared to petro diesel.

While distribution stations are few and far between, the fuel is yet to gain widespread acceptance. Production of the fuel should interest our army of entrepreneurs as the thought of making biodiesel fuel commercially is well within reach. Indeed, many who start off with homemade biodiesel move up to the production of this fuel in their local environments. It is possible to obtain certification from the EPA once you have mastered the task of producing the fuel reliably, and to progress by selling it to an increasingly interested public. Biodiesel is a superb alternative fuel, and it’s certainly an option which could radically change our impact on the Earth, perhaps more quickly than we might realise.