Greenwatch
Chips are down for green motor
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| FILL HER UP: Steve Stanners, the landlord of the Greyhound pub in Beaminster, and Paul Rychnovsky next to the car which runs on vegatable oil Picture: GRAHAM HUNT/HG3549 |
A BEAMINSTER man's car is as cheap as chips to run - or at least the oil they are fried in.
Paul Rychnovsky is not affected by rocketing fuel prices as he has converted his car to be powered by used vegetable oil from a local pub.
Mr Rychnovsky bought a special kit from a company in Germany that began manufacturing them in 1972 following the oil crisis of the time.
He changed his French car with its 500cc diesel engine into a greener set of wheels that now does about 85 miles to the gallon.
Instead of filling up at a local petrol station, he gets his fuel from the Greyhound pub in Beaminster Square.
He said: "I asked a friend of mine who works there what the landlord did with his used cooking oil and they said it just goes back to the company that supplies it.
"I converted the car myself and it cost about £500, or a garage can do it for you.
"I get my oil for free at the moment and would like to thank the Greyhound's landlord, Steve Stanners, for providing it.
"Just half an acre of rapeseed produces enough oil to power the car for a whole year."
Mr Rychnovsky, of Clay Lane, said he carried out the conversion because he and his family try to live an environmentally-friendly lifestyle.
Now a househusband with two children and a part-time job as an electrician, he used to manage a nature reserve near Bournemouth.
He has deliberately not travelled by air since 1993 and his wife has never flown.
He said his green car is not very fast and so is only used for short-distance travel, with longer trips made by rail.
10:20am Thursday 1st May 2008
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