The days of the Hummer and the extended-cab truck with six wheels are coming to an end. That’s not to say everyone will be driving VW buses and singing “Kumbaya” with Captain America and Billy at some commune out west — if you haven’t seen Easy Rider you should. Instead, America is wising up to the foolishness of running our cars on black-dinosaur goo.
The desire for more fuel-efficient vehicles was made apparent this week as Ford Motor Company announced massive layoffs in the coming years, while at the same time Honda Motor Company saw over a 25 percent increase in sales last year.
As gas prices increase, hybrid vehicles become the rage and incentives are being planned for drivers of fuel efficient cars, N.C. State is leading the way with eight of its 23 Wolfline buses running off the more environmentally friendly and engine-life-increasing biodiesel. This is a good step, but is only the beginning of an energy plan that could potentially benefit both the Department of Transportation and Mother Earth.
Biodiesel is less harmful to the longevity of an automobile’s engine because of the lack of sulfur, which clogs fuel lines leading to more frequent maintenance, as well as polluting the air.
As of right now, biodiesel costs a little more than diesel, around 20 cents, but on a scale at which the Wolfline operates, these numbers can prove daunting to a University that is forced to pinch pennies and increase student fees.
The University should do all it can to allocate more funds to converting more of its buses to biodiesel now so the future switch will go more smoothly and potentially save money. With one biodiesel processing plant in the area in the beginning stages of development and another being planned, N.C. State could potentially benefit from having its buses changed over to biodiesel and prepared for the incoming surge and drop in price of the fuel.
We should begin setting the standard for the area. We are the University with one of the most efficient solar houses in the nation and classes that teach students how to make biodiesel. It only makes sense that we practice what we preach and use biodiesel in our buses.