MC alumni head west using alternative fuel source

July 21, 2009
Contact: Penny S. Gibbons, Staff Writer- Office of Communications
865.981.8209; penny.gibbons@maryvillecollege.edu

Regardless of where travelers may be headed this summer, vegetable oil likely isn’t figuring into their packing. Suntan oil, maybe. Vegetable oil, no.

Joe Norskov, Stephen Shankles and Jason Barnes, all recent graduates from Maryville College, traveled nearly 9,000 miles in a 1983 300D turbo Mercedes Benz with used vegetable cooking oil as their fuel source.

The trio, who met at MC while running cross country and playing on the Ultimate Frisbee team, headed west from Knoxville on June 3, pulling a trailer with a 50-gallon plastic barrel for storing the oil.

In preparation for the trip, they installed a $1,000 kit on the car. Shankles, the mechanically inclined member of the group, completed the installation in one weekend.

"We more than paid for the kit in savings on our trip," he stated in a recent interview. "We put an electric pump and filter on the trailer to pump the oil out of the drum to the tank of the car."

Shankles pointed out that some diesel vehicles will run on vegetable oil (minus animal products) without any modifications, burning 60 to70 percent cleaner than diesel.

What prompted such an adventure?

All three young men took an introduction to environmental studies course at MC that piqued their interest in attempting the trip. And their love of the outdoors made the idea that much more appealing.

Camping primarily in national parks and on beaches, the group traveled to the Pacific Ocean and back. Their route took them to South Dakota (Badlands National Park), Wyoming (Yellowstone National Park), Washington (Olympic Peninsula), California (San Francisco, Yosemite and Death Valley National Parks), Nevada, Arizona (where they hiked the Grand Canyon), Utah (Zion and Arches National Parks) and Colorado. The only night they sprung for a hotel was during their stay in Las Vegas.

Norskov admitted that it was, at times, aggravating locating used vegetable oil; they basically begged for it from restaurants. During times of need, they purchased about 30 gallons of diesel.

People’s reactions to their venture were positive overall. Some seemed very surprised that a car could be powered on the cooking oil. Others were more familiar with the idea, but they all were interested and supportive. One brewery/restaurant in Colorado even gave the threesome oil and a half gallon of beer.

"The fact we covered 9,000 miles averaging 25 mpg on used vegetable oil made it worthwhile," concluded Norskov.

Talks are underway about a repeat trip next year.

Maryville College is ideally situated in Maryville, Tenn., between the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and Knoxville, the state's third largest city. Founded in 1819, it is the 12th oldest institution of higher learning in the South and maintains an affiliation with the Presbyterian Church (USA). Known for its academic rigor and its focus on the liberal arts, Maryville is where students come to stretch their minds, stretch themselves and learn how to make a difference in the world. Total enrollment for the fall 2009 semester is 1,103.