Blythewood High School Making Biodiesel

Blythewood High School Making Biodiesel

Episode 4115
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With so much focus on the development of electric cars these days, it’s easy to overlook some of the tried and true clean fuels that are still making a positive impact on our environment; but, we recently visited a group of alt-fuel all-stars who are fueling their future with biodiesel!

Blythewood high school serves about 2000 students in rural Richland county, South Carolina. Typical of the area, it offers a few vocational classes in agriculture, construction and mechanics, but this chemistry course is anything but typical. These students are learning how to make biodiesel from donated used cooking oil. 

This unique curriculum is the brainchild of Will Epps, a science teacher here who identified a need in the local job market and sought a solution.

WILL EPPS: In the summers I work as a chemist at Westinghouse and what I noticed is that, in the lab space, there was a lot of turnover with technicians. And I was, you know, as a chemistry teacher, and kind of being one foot in both worlds, it kind of dawned on me and I was thinking well, why can’t we train high school kids to have this job? Noticing that what we’re doing in a chemistry class, they need a little bit extra to be successful in that environment.

JOHN DAVIS: Pairing that idea with some basic equipment found at the school, Will got the biodiesel program up and running a couple of years ago. 

It’s been expanding ever since and recently earned a grant from the South Carolina Energy Office through the US Department of Energy’s state energy program, with additional help from Palmetto Clean Fuels, South Carolina’s clean cities coalition; but it’s really Will’s infectious enthusiasm that draws students to the class.

AVA: I wanted to get involved in this program because I had, uh, Mr. Epps as a teacher before, and he was a really great teacher, and he convinced me that I was good at science and that I could continue being in science classes because I was previously a little insecure about my abilities with science.

CAMDEN: and also, I like doing the work. The work’s pretty-- it’s complex, but easy at the same time. It gets your brain, you know, pumping.

TESSA: And, it being more, like, out there and being more, like, project-based instead of just like papers and stuff, I’m like “that could be an interesting class to go into.”

JOHN DAVIS: In this lab, students not only learn the basics of chemical reactions, but also gain over 100 hours of laboratory experience; enough to help them qualify for chemical engineering and other lab internships at local companies.

WILL EPPS: It’s a great product. You know, it’s simple enough for students to understand; you know, we mix two things together and we get a product that separates out, and then we have a lot of analytical chemistry techniques that we need to proof that the fuel is good enough quality to go in an engine. So, it kind of fits both worlds, um, and it’s really nice to be able to take a waste product and change it into something that we can use again.

JOHN DAVIS: The student-made fuel is currently being tested in the school’s tractors and by diesel truck owners in the local community with great results, but the ultimate goal is to top off their own buses with a cleaner blend of B10 or B20 biodiesel made right at the school.

WILL EPPS: So the plan right now, and where we’re at, is that we can make 40 gallons of B100 in a week, and so the goal is to maybe double or triple that capacity over the next couple of years. And, you know, really our product is the biodiesel, but really the product is our students, and getting them into the workforce and being successful.

AYDEN: Well, now I’m really interested in chemistry.

KATRELL: I’m happy we can, you know-- we’re doing at least a little something to help.

TY: I know where we’re going right now is not the best, but if we can do any amount to help it, then that’s what I’m all for.

TYLER: It’s just a really cool thing to be a part of; saying “hey, you see that bus driving? I helped fuel that.”

JOHN DAVIS: Gaining a healthy respect for the environment, to go along with invaluable hands-on experience, these students are literally fueling a clean driving future for all of us!

1994 Audi RS2 3/4 Front

1994 Audi RS2

One Truly Amazing Avant

by Roger Mecca
Episode 4328
Auto Value and Bumper to BumperTire Rack "The Way Tire Buying Should Be"

For years, America’s Audi fans could only dream of owning one of the sporty station wagons only available to the Quattro faithful across the Atlantic. Finally, in 2021, Audi brought the 591-horsepower RS6 to our shores, and this year, they’re sending an even faster version. But as our Roger Mecca is going to show us, Audi’s history of lightning-quick wagons under the RS name are what US car fans have been lusting for, for more than 20 years.

ROGER MECCA: In the early ‘90s, Audi was living in the shadow of its German peers Mercedes and BMW, and considered an alternative, quirky option like Saab or Volvo- not the premier luxury brand they are today.

Audi was eager to be taken as seriously as its Bavarian brethren and needed a big splash with a halo car that could not be ignored.

The result was the RS2, the first Audi to ever carry the RS badge and the world’s first truly fast station wagon. And it helped Audi succeed in getting the attention of serious car fans. But they didn’t do it alone. They had help from another very iconic German brand.

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In the early ‘90s, Porsche was in deep financial trouble, but still carried respect as a premier performance brand. Though Audi knew plenty about making fantastic racecars, with their storied rally racing history, they didn’t have the cache or recognition as a company that made sports cars.

So, when Audi approached them with a proposal to collaborate, Porsche was happy to take the engineering fee. Using the existing Audi 80 wagon as the base, the RS2 was developed over 18 months, and roughly 2900 of them rolled off the line at Porsche’s Stuttgart factory from 1994 to 1995. The very same line where another legendary four-wheel drive turbocharged car was produced, the Porsche 959.

So, just how much Porsche is there in the RS2? A lot.

Starting in the front, you got the badge that says Porsche, the front fog lights are from a 911; the sideview mirrors are from a 911; these wheels are from a later 911, but they rolled off the factory with a 968 club sport wheels. I think the rear taillight bar looks a lot like a 911 from the time. The suspensions tuned by Porsche, the brakes are from Porsche, the calipers say Porsche, and then we haven’t even gotten to what Porsche did under the hood.

The engine started out as Audi’s stalwart, if odd, 2.2-liter turbocharged five-cylinder. But then Porsche added a bigger turbo, a larger intercooler, a new ECU and a new camshaft. Porsche also added a six-speed manual gearbox, the only shifting option available for RS2 buyers. As you might expect, the results of Porsche’s tinkering were remarkable.

The engine puts out 315 horsepower and goes to 60 in 4.8 seconds. Now, that does not seem super fast today, I know, but back in 1994 that was faster than Ferrari’s flagship V12 coupe, the 456. In fact, Audi would not make another car that was faster to 60 for 10 years.

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Unfortunately, that power isn’t nearly as immediate or available as Ferrari’s grand tourer, and the addition of the RS2’s bigger turbo came at a price that was all too familiar in the 90s- turbo lag. To get everything out of this car, and the engine, you need to keep the exhaust pressure up and the turbo spinning. Let them wind down and the performance goes with it, along with the excitement- until the RPMs climb back into the fun zone.

But once it hits, oof, it is intense! You go from no drama at all to being thrust into the back of your seat like you’re on a rocket.”

In terms of how it rides, it feels wonderfully civilized and firmly planted at speed. Though the RS2 has a reputation for not being a great car in the twisty stuff, I found it to be a ton of fun to power into a corner, have it confidently hold its line, and shoot out the other side. Porsche’s work on the suspension is evident and there’s great steering feel and feedback. Plus, you get all of this excitement in a car with terrific visibility, comfort and practicality.

The RS2 was the best of both worlds. You could pack the whole family up for a wonderful vacation, but you could go 100 miles-an-hour down the Autobahn to get there.

Since the RS2, Audi has introduced a plethora of cars, wagons and SUVs with the RS name, all of which could easily leave the RS2 in a cloud of dust and smoke. But none of them made as much of an impression as this unassuming station wagon, the car that helped Audi grab the world’s attention.