Renewable Energy Machine

RENEWABLE ENERGY MACHINE
December 29, 2005 - May 21, 2009

"Road trip of the year. Some fans stop at restaurants to refuel their bodies. (Mr. Sports Travel) stops to refuel his body AND his car. This is a great trip and a great cause.” – ESPN.com

“If you’re driving around town today and catch a whiff of what smells like your favorite fast-food joint, but don’t see any drive-thrus in sight, don’t panic. You’re not losing your mind. But you’re probably driving behind (Mr. Sports Travel).” – Auburn-Opelika News, Alabama

“Between burgers, beer and games of bag toss, some tailgaters found themselves discussing a topic not typically associated with college football — renewable fuels. From a 1984 lime green Mercedes that runs on both biodiesel and vegetable oil, (Mr. Sports Travel) preached the gospel of biofuels and alternative energy.” – The State News, Michigan

"When he's driving...often listens to Jimmy Buffett's 'Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes.' (Mr. Sports Travel) hopes Americans change their attitude about the way they use energy." – Fort Myers (Florida) News-Press

Thumbs up after getting filled up on biodiesel in Miami

Mr. Sports Travel speaking at a Chicago school

“The point of his tour…not necessarily to promote vegetable oil as a fuel, but rather to get people thinking about alternative forms of energy.” – South-Bend Tribune

So popular with Utah Utes fans you can't even see it!

Filling up on some Soy Biodiesel in Wooster, Ohio

One August evening in 2005, Mr. Sports Travel was watching television when he first learned about a car running on vegetable oil. As a die-hard baseball fan, he had long dreamed of insanity: seeing a different ballgame in a different ballpark for the length of an entire baseball season, from Spring Training through the college baseball season to the minors and Major Leagues. The light bulb went off in his head. Why not raise awareness of alternative and renewable fuels while at the same time realize his season-long ballpark traveling (insanity) dream?

After convincing multiple sponsors to join his delirious quest, Mr. Sports Travel purchased a 1984 Mercedes 300D from a private party in San Clemente, California in late 2005. Shortly thereafter, he had the car converted to run on used vegetable oil, aka fryer fat grease! In 2006, Mr. Sports Travel was on the road for 215 days, visiting 272 baseball parks across North America (can you say lots of doubleheaders?), from independent league baseball in the Great White North of Winnipeg, Manitoba to high school ball at the end of U.S. 1 in Key West, Florida, just 90 miles from Cuba! The 2006 tour saw Mr. Sports Travel drive the Lime Green Renewable Energy Machine more than 50,000 miles over seven months through parts of 48 U.S. states and three Canadian provinces.

In 2007 and 2008, he was at it again, only this time showcasing the car before premiere college and pro football, hockey and basketball games across the U.S. and Canada. Mr. Sports Travel enjoyed more than 100 sporting venues over four months in both 2007 and 2008. On May 21, 2009, Mr. Sports Travel sold the green machine.

The Mercedes was a two-tank fuel system. Mr. Sports Travel used primarily biodiesel (but occasionally regular diesel) at start up. Biodiesel is a cleaner form of diesel, and can be used as fuel in any diesel engine car. Once the car was started, radiator fluid transfered heat from the engine to the heat exchangers in the fuel system. These exchangers heated the vegetable oil in the fuel filter, lines and fuel tank (The 13-gallon second tank was located in the trunk in the spare tire well). The heat reduced the viscosity of vegetable oil so that it was similar to biodiesel or diesel, and could be injected into the engine properly. He then pressed a switch to run on vegetable oil once the car’s temperature was between 80-100 degrees. When the engine was shut down for several hours, Mr. Sports Travel switched back to biodiesel or diesel so remaining “cold” vegetable oil didn’t clog up the injectors the next time the engine was started.

He bought biodiesel at service stations or from private parties. He got used vegetable oil from local restaurants. He had a filtration system in his trunk, aka "The Grease Trap," that enabled him to turn waste vegetable oil and into fuel.

SOME GREEN MACHINE STORIES AND LINKS STILL ONLINE:

2008 Tour:

Video of Mr. Sports Travel explaining the Green Machine to fans:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7870610691038718788

LATimes.com, Pac-10 tour portion:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/bruin/road_trip/index.html

San Diego Reader: http://www.sandiegoreader.com/news/2008/apr/09/go-grease-lightnin

Tree Hugger: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2008/08/green-power-sports-tour.php

UNO Red Army: http://unoredarmy.wetpaint.com/page/Red+Army+in+the+Media?t=anon

Sponsor corner:

http://www.thewavebox.com/news/newsdetails.cfm?newsID=16

http://www.celsius.com/pressrelease/joe-connor-back-road-3rd-annual-green-power-sports-tour-sponsored-celsius