Vegging out
By Kelly Hayes McAlonie
Eric Glose and his veggie-oil-fueled ride.
Photos by kc kratt.
“The use of vegetable oils for engine fuels may seem insignificant today, but such oils may become in the course of time as important as petroleum and coal tar products of the present time.”
–Rudolf Diesel, 1912

This is the quotation that Eric Glose keeps at his desk as an inspiration when working on his car. It’s a thought that would influence the car he bought, the home he chose, and the restaurant he frequents. This year, Glose converted a Volkswagen Jetta 2000 to run on used vegetable oil that would otherwise be wasted. By the mere flick of a switch, his car will convert from running on diesel fuel to running on vegetable oil. Glose says, “The process is to heat the oil enough to reduce its viscosity to the point where it will run through the engine.” He maintains a separate tank in the car that stores the vegetable oil as well as a series of heat exchangers that warm the oil sufficiently enough to run the car. A lot of work on the car was necessary, but very little processing of the oil is needed to use it. Where does he get all the oil from? He won’t say definitively—only that it comes from a local Asian restaurant. The source of the used vegetable oil is an important point as well. Glose compares his converted car engine to the human heart—vegetable oil that has few impurities will not clog up the engine, just as it will not clog up your arteries.

The project has been years in the making. Glose’s environmental awareness began while attending Clarkson University, where he obtained an M.B.A. and a B.S. in computer engineering. While at school, he and a friend formed a student club called ECO (Environmental Conscientious Organization). Through the group, he was exposed to numerous environmentally related ideas and attended group-related field trips. It was at this time that he first became interested in vegetable oil technology. By the time he moved back to Buffalo, he had already decided that he would like to convert a car to run on vegetable oil. A number of strategic moves would need to be in place in order to achieve this. The first move was buying the right car, which needed to have a diesel engine. After some searching, he decided upon a 2000 Volkswagen Jetta. While he was making payments on the car, he started looking for a house with a garage. Dedicated to living in the city of Buffalo, Glose settled on a house in the Bidwell Parkway area.

The project took approximately six months, even though the car was taken off line for only one weekend. And while you can buy a kit to convert your car for roughly $1,500, Glose designed a kit and built some of the components himself for a little more. And, “just for fun,” he notes, this included learning to weld. He uses approximately seven gallons of oil per week and gets approximately forty-five miles to the gallon. On average, he needs to fill the car with oil once per week and with diesel fuel once every three weeks. He explains, “All I need to do is drive up to the restaurant and pump their used fryer oil into my car. The system works well, although it will likely be some time before I see a return on my investment. I did it as more of a hobby than a way to save money, though—as kind of a statement.”

While Glose’s project may make an important statement about the recycling of waste and dependence on foreign oil, he wanted to highlight that everyone can make a big impact on reducing their environmental footprint by recycling their garbage, eating local foods, and even turning off the lights when you leave the room. Rudolf Diesel’s dream of using vegetable oils for engine fuels may be almost one hundred years old, but its time is coming. and Eric Glose is one of the people leading the way.

Kelly Hayes McAlonie AIA, MRAIC, LEED AP, is a senior associate with Cannon Design and president of the American Institute of Architects’ Buffalo/Western New York chapter.


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