Building a 'Frybrid'

Students at Petoskey High School in Michigan are building the first “frybrid” -- a grease-powered hybrid -- in Northern Michigan.

1 minute read

July 17, 2008, 11:00 AM PDT

By Tim Halbur


"During the 2007-08 school year, students from several departments within the school, including physics, chemistry, automotive, art and culinary arts worked together as one to perfect the look and performance of a 1981 Oldsmobile which ran on both diesel fuel and vegetable oil.

The car was donated to the school at the beginning of the school year by Harbor Springs resident Mike McDonald, who originally had the car up for sale for $1,500.

At the time, McDonald's son, Stewart, who originally converted the car to run on both vegetable oil and diesel in 2006 during an independent study in physics at Harbor Springs High School, was away at college.

Stewart said when he heard about his father's generosity, he was extremely proud.

'It was a smart choice on his part - it's pretty cool that the car got to maintain being an educational tool because that's how it started with me,' he said. 'It will help more people in the long run.'"

Wednesday, July 16, 2008 in Petoskey News-Review

Aerial view of homes on green hillsides in Daly City, California.

Depopulation Patterns Get Weird

A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.

April 10, 2024 - California Planning & Development Report

Aerial view of Oakland, California with bay in background

California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million

Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.

April 11, 2024 - Los Angeles Times

A view straight down LaSalle Street, lined by high-rise buildings with an El line running horizontally over the street.

Chicago to Turn High-Rise Offices into Housing

Four commercial buildings in the Chicago Loop have been approved for redevelopment into housing in a bid to revitalize the city’s downtown post-pandemic.

April 10, 2024 - Chicago Construction News

Close-up of red Capital Bikeshare bikes with Washington Monument in background.

DC Bikeshare System Breaks Ridership Record

Capital Bikeshare users took over 20,000 rides on one day in March.

1 hour ago - DC News Now

Close-up of EV charging station sign with "No Parking except for EV charging" in outdoor parking lot.

EV Infrastructure Booming in Suburbs, Cities Lag Behind

A lack of access to charging infrastructure is holding back EV adoption in many US cities.

April 15 - PC Magazine

Two cyclists riding on a protected bike lane on a bridge in Seattle with traffic on their left.

Seattle Road Safety Advocates Say Transportation Levy Perpetuates Car-Centric Status Quo

Critics of a proposed $1.3 billion transportation levy say the package isn’t enough to keep up with inflation and rising costs and fails to support a shift away from car-oriented infrastructure.

April 15 - Publicola

News from HUD User

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Call for Speakers

Mpact Transit + Community

New Updates on PD&R Edge

HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research

Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.

Planning for Universal Design

Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.