With everybody talking about green alternatives for engine fuel these days – namely biodiesel and ethanol – some other energy alternatives are slipping through the cracks. Thankfully, the U.S. Energy Initiatives Corporation (OTCBB: USEI) is starting to get the attention it deserves, thanks to its recent work with General Motors Thailand for the company’s dual-fuel C190 Colorado pick-up program.According to a recent press release, GM Thailand converted a C190 Colorado pick-up truck using USEI’s modified dual-fuel natural gas/diesel engine technology, then drove the vehicle for 100,000 kilometers (62,317.119 miles). At the end of the test the engine was dismantled and each part and component was analyzed for wear and tear. GM Thailand reportedly approved the dual-fuel system, as it had “no negative effect on any aspect of the vehicle and is approved by GM Asia Pacific for immediate sale.”
The process behind USEI’s dual-fuel technology is relatively complex, but in essence, it works by mixing diesel gasoline with natural gas. While Phillip Rappa, USEI’s CEO, couldn’t explain some of the more technical aspects of the company’s conversion system, he did try to simplify it as much as possible.
“What happens when we are asked to build a [conversion] kit – for example, for a particular engine – we physically have to take possession of the engine and mount it in an engine room, read its [computer] ‘brain,’ if you will, and … overlay our technology over their power and torque curves so that our ‘brain’ can tell their computer when … to diminish the use of diesel, increase the use of natural gas with no appreciable drop in horsepower, performance, or any other parameter,” Rappa said. “Once it goes back to a normal state, they run perfectly normally on straight diesel.”
Rappa went on to explain how this mix of natural gas and diesel was more beneficial for the car – and the environment – than current engines.
“It doesn’t affect the use of the vehicle whatsoever with the exception of offsetting anywhere from 50 to 83 percent of the use of diesel fuel,” Rappa said. “Perhaps more importantly, you get [less] particulate matter released in the air … than you do with diesel. So not only can we offset the use of foreign fuels by using a domestic natural gas, we can greatly diminish the emission of particulates.
“We’re appreciably diminishing the amount of particulate matter in the air,” Rappa added. “That’s a side-benefit we’re proud of.”