The Connection Between Fuel Theft And Fuel Prices

Within the UK there has been a large amount of reports of late related to an increase in fuel theft. Although this theft originally affected commercial vehicles, these reports have now shown an increase in thefts which are affecting domestic vehicles too. It is believed that this increase in fuel theft has stemmed directly from an increase in both petrol and diesel prices and the current financial issues which have affected us as a society over the past few years. Those who choose to partake in this crime are doing so by illegally siphoning fuel from cars either for their own personal use, or as a means to make a profit for their selves by reselling the fuel at a lower price than advertised at local filling stations. Not only does this affect those who the fuel is stolen directly from, but it is also affecting the overall business of local filling stations that are losing custom to those who choose to purchase illegally siphoned fuel.

Since January 2009, it has been reported by the RAC that this criminal activity has increased by 50% but this is an issue which has been affecting society as far back as 2001. However, it is only now that we are being introduced with new and innovative products which are aimed towards targeting this problem and stopping fuel theives once and for all.

There are a range of commercial anti-siphoning products which are sold within the UK and overseas which aim towards stopping fuel theft and now, there is also the added benefit of many vehicles being designed with these devices already intact. As these designs have evolved, there are now a range of devices which are available for diesel cars and vans which will not only help prevent fuel theft, but will also help stop the issue of mis-fuelling. Mis-fuelling is a major issue which is estimated to occur every three and a half minutes within the UK. Not only is this a great waste of money and fuel, it can also result in extensive repairs being required on the vehicle itself. This new form of device will work by stopping petrol being placed into a diesel car, thus eliminating the problems which arise from this type of mistake and hindering thieves who try to siphon the diesel directly from the vehicle.

It is an unfortunate fact that while fuel prices increase, the level of car fuel theft is likely to increase also. However, by looking into different forms of deterrent, we can not only help reduce our own loss and the loss of filling stations, but we can also help in reducing the level of fuel theft by stopping the thieves themselves. By looking into options such as petrol and diesel dye which helps your fuel to become easy to identify and detect, we will be provided with evidence against thieves which they cannot deny. With many of these types of dyes being extremely resilient against removal techniques, we will not only have the upper hand against fuel thieves, but will also be provided with a sense of security that our car or van’s fuel is protected.

Learn About The History Of Biofuel Cars

Biofuel has been around for long than any of us have been alive. Indeed, the first diesel cars were designed to run on peanut oil in the 1880s!

Rupert Diesel could even be considered one of the fathers of environmental awareness since he wanted to prove that automobiles didn’t have to depend on fossil fuels, so those diesel engines ran on peanut oil for the next 40 years.

Even Henry Ford mass-produced biofuel cars, beginning with the 1908 Model T Ford, and owned his own ethanol plant. 25% of the fuel sold by Standard Oil was biofuel. Eventually hemp became one of the main resources used for biofuels production since it produced so much more fuel than did peanut oil.

Unfortunately, the growing oil industry decided that petroleum based products were ‘better’…even though they weren’t…and, through aggressive marketing, convinced people that oil and gas were better and cheaper.

When they began demonizing hemp as “the evils of marijuana” – even though the hemp used in biofuels production wouldn’t get anyone high – it was the beginning of the end. Up until that point, hemp usage had been legal in the United States. After the oil companies got through with their intense marketing, the biodiesel industry collapsed in the 1930s.

After World War II, petroleum companies also started buying up trolley car lines, which ran on electricity, and replacing them with buses running on diesel, and pushed for new highways. The boom following World War II led to an explosion of car purchases – all running on petroleum-based products, not biofuels.

What the oil companies didn’t recognize then was that non-renewal energy sources are finite. That we would run out of oil. That we would become dependent on foreign old resources only 40 years later… and not be able to control foreign oil forever. After all, what are a few decades when they were getting rich then?

Now the auto industry is coming around full circle as public demand for more environmentally friendly cars that use renewable energy sources. Jeep Grand Cherokees and Dodge RAM trucks are among the 2008 vehicles that are designed to run on biofuels. Flex-fuel and hybrid cars also are being sold in greater numbers, and all US cars sold since 2000 can run n a combination of gas and biofuels.

Of course, the petroleum industry still fights back, coming up with reports claiming that petroleum is better for car engines than biofuels, an approach that is disputed by many other studies. But by 1985, all cars in Brazil could run on biofuels. Many other countries have been turning to biofuels over the past 20 years and, unlike in the United States, biofuels are available at most service stations across Europe.

There are currently several hundred major fleets of biofuels vehicles – cars, buses, and vans – in the United States, including fleets used by the military, the US Postal Service, and many transit systems.

So, while the petroleum industry fights to keep their control over the fuel industry, it looks like the history of biofuels cars, while shunted aside for a while, is still be written.