Riding Around Town In A Greasemobile

The diesel engine was invented in the late 1800's to run on peanut oil---and now, a couple of savvy drivers in Madison, Wisc. have brought that concept to the 21st century, recycling used vegetable oil to keep their cars on the road. Mark Cheyne and Bruce Moore regularly haul away french fry grease from Monty's Blue Plate Diner in 55-gallon steel drums and convert the oil to fuel for their diesel cars, a 1984 Mercedes and a 1996 Volkswagen. The biodiesel benefits the environment, burning more cleanly than gasoline and recycling a waste product. And the cost? Oh, about 50 cents a gallon.