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BioTravel's Environmental Credentials

Newquay, Cornwall, England, Europe and the World.  BioTravel in real terms is less than a pin prick on a pin prick.  We realise that however 'Green' our taxis and minibuses are here in Cornwall, we will make virtually no impact at the global level.  Or so you would think...

Our plan is to creat a working and profitable envrionmentally friendly taxi, minibus and transport company which can then be used as a template in the rest of England, Europe and the world.  We are piling all of our profit back into research of technology that will make our vehicles run perfectly on pure biofuel year round.  We are spending money on other renewable energies such as wind turbines to power our fuel pump, fuel heaters and car pressure washers.  We are installing rain water collection devices to use for windscreen washers and vehicle cleaning.  We use special tyres that save over 20 gallons of crude oil per tyre and we employ a driving stratergy that reduces wear and tear and increases efficiency and passenger comfort.

Green BioTravel

Below is a list of everything we do to minimise our footprint on the planet.

• Biodiesel is used as a fuel in our taxis and minibuses in Cornwall.
• Environmentally Friendly Tyres save 20 gallons of crude oil per tyre.  We use about 100 tyres per year!
• Reduced serv ice intervals help to keep our vehicles as efficient as possible.
• Green driving stratergy helps reduce wear and tear, and increase efficiency and passenger comfort.
• Rain water collection saves water for washing vehicles with.
• Wind turbine will provide power for fuel heating, fuel pump and vehicle washing.
• Energy efficient lightbulbs and Halogen heaters are used in our office to save energy.
• Double glazing in our office saves energy.
• Recycled materials were used for renovating our whole office.
• 95% of office waste is recycled.
• Recycled paper and ink refills are used to minimise waste.
• Paperless booking and billing help reduce waste.
• Cycle scheme is used for office workers.
• Laptops  are used mainly as the use less energy.

The Planet and Biodiesel

Global Warming and climate change is making headlines around the world.  Every day there is more evidence of extreme weather phenomenons and now almost all experts point to the Human race as the main cause for the planets latest temperal shift.  Latest estimates show that we are dumping 7 billion  tons of Co2 into the atmosphere every year and in the next 10 years this is likely to hit 11 billion tons. Biodiesel offers an extraordinary opportunity to run vehicles without adding to the Carbon Dioxide build up in the atmosphere. Using 100% Biodiesel (known as b100) as a fuel creats the same amount of Carbon Dioxide when combusted as it uses to produce the fuel. Therefore the net production of Carbon Dioxide is zero, or Carbon Neutral.  Experts agree that swift action could prevent ever worsening effects of global warming in our near future.

Biodiesel can however have a 'Carbon Footprint' if the fuel is sourced and created away from the intended area that it will be used. There will be a Carbon cost attributed to the transport of the fuel. At the moment, millions of tons of used oil and crops for production of Biodiesel are being shipped to other countries from britain to be processed. At BioTravel, we aim to source all of our biodiesel from British producers, who in turn collect used oil from around the U.K. to make the Biodiesel.

Biodiesel does have its drawbacks. During winter months Biodiesel can gel in its pure b100 form. This means that on very cold days, there can be problems starting the vehicles. There are three possible ways to overcome this. The first is to add a percentage of normal petroleum diesel to thin the Biodiesel. A 50/50 mix is usually enough in the U.K. but in colder climates the petroleum mix would have to be increased. The second is to add certain additives to the Biodiesel. This however adds toxicity to the emissions. The third and most expensive way is to adapt your vehicle so that the Biodiesel is preheated in the tank, and again as it enters the engine. This is the most environmentally friendly solution, as emissions can actually decrease, as hotter fuel is burned more efficiently. The cost for converting vehicles is around £500 to £1000 per vehicle.