MTV’S “Pimp My Ride†and, Imperium Renewables, have partnered to make a green machine. As part of an Earth Day episode, the Pimp My Ride crew converted a 1965 Chevy Impala so the car can run on pure biodiesel. Imperium founder, John Plaza, and CEO, Martin Tobias, are joining MTV is delivering the message that going green doesn’t mean having to sacrifice fun or performance, and the result is an 800 horsepower biodiesel “Clean Machine†that achieves 25 MPG. Which while not very impressive is at least carbon neutral.
“When we approached MTV about converting a car to diesel so we could run it on pure biodiesel, we knew the sky was the limit,†commented Imperium CEO, Martin Tobias. “What they were able to do to this car is an unparalleled achievement. Viewers will be blown away – and every one of them will want one of their own.â€
Yes lets have everyone running around in giant cars, and we can just grow more food crops to feed all these huge vehicles biodiesel instead of gasoline. We don’t need to worry where people will get food from, perhaps we can just cut down the rain forest to make palm oil. My point is that biofuels don’t work unless they come from sustainable sources and are part of a reduction in consumption. If everyone is running around in 800 hp fuel hogs (24mpg is horrible) then we will have only swapped out one problem for another.
Plaza and Tobias also helped introduce MTV and Galpin Auto Sports to diesel conversion expert, Jonathan Goodwin, to help with the work under the hood. Goodwin is an “alternative energy guru” and owns a business that specializes in converting GMC Hummers to diesel so their owners can drive a more ecologically responsible vehicle – most of them reaching mileage improvements of up to 2–3 times what their production line counterparts do. Watch out they now get 20 miles per gallon instead of 10. Are these people serious?
The special episode will air on Earth Day, April 22 as part of the thinkMTV year long, 12-step campaign “Break The Addiction,†attempting to educate millions of young people to make smart, everyday choices that both improve their life and help to curb the impact of climate change and preserve the environment.
You have to ask yourself if this is really going to help at all. Will we really make progress on the problems people face in the world (not the least of which is global warming) if we continue on our path of over consumption. Who needs an 800 horse power car? Ride your bike for Pete’s sake! Take the bus, walk. If they really wanted to pimp this ride in an ecological way they would have converted it to full electric and installed some solar panels on the top of it, or set up a wind turbine in the back yard to charge it.
MTV is well intentioned but fails miserably in its execution of this idea. They clearly do not care about stopping global warming, if they did they would not promote such a consumption heavy life style (cribs, sweet 16, almost every music video, etc etc etc). Clearly MTV is more interested in bling, leave the real ecological education to someone else.
Maybe MTV should stick to what it is supposed to be…. MUSIC television… Oh how I miss the old days with Martha and Nina and the gang… and actual MUSIC VIDEOS!
OK. You fail miserably to understand the point. America is a society based on capitalism. People love thier ‘toys’ No, most people aren’t going to take a bike, walk, or the bus. I have seen very few Hollywood enviromental activists to the same. But I do see plenty of Hollywood enviromentalist activists shuttling around in SUV’s, Hummers and limos. Why not at least start by changing the fuel these vehicles run on? That would be a big start in being more enviromentaly sensitive while at the same time actualy enjoying one’s life.
Just don’t forget biodiesel quality when you run your car with this fuel: http://www.filtertechnik.co.uk/biodiesel
You can also get mammoth biodiesel returns from harvesting algae, rather than plant crops. Something like 10,000 gallons per acre of algae harvested. Not only that, but the emissions from biodiesel are far less harmful than that of traditional fuels.
The whole point of the episode was to show people that you can have an alternative fuel car that is still fast and fun to drive. This kids the kids excited about it because it shows them that a car running on alternative fuel can be faster than conventional cars. I don’t think the point of the show was that everyone is going to suddenly buy 800hp Biodiesel monsters, either, however, the 25 mpg figure for such a powerful car is indeed impressive and indicative of the fuel consumption benefits you would get in a much more typical consumer level vehicle.
Ok mate…instead of whinging about it why don’t you get off ur a$$ and do something then if you’re that bothered. Some people like an 800bhp car myself included (though I don’t own one – but I’d happily change my GTR that guzzles fuel for that car off PMR as I’d be doing a little bit if not an aweful lot for the green lot) You missed the point in that in a world where no one really cares that much for green stuff, the modifying cars world, this is a big leap and is trying to change perceptions that horsepower and green don’t go together. Don’t thjink anyone’s going to give up driving powerful cars bio-fuel or not until a decent alternative comes along. I’d drive a hybrid if it made 800hp, but they don’t you have the Prius which sucks and actually causes more harm than good. And all the taxing of petrol and whinging at me ain’t gonna make me stop driving my GTR until as mentioned an alternative I can afford becomes available. So give them a break and do something yourself instead of spedning time writing this nonsense and wasting electricitiy.
MTV has always catered to the people who passed notes during class but it seems they’ve failed miserably at this.
Here’s a giant clue-by-four: the point of this conversion isn’t to promote 800hp cars. It’s to destroy the myth that to go “green”, an engine must be castrated to 90hp. If 800hp is achievable, isn’t 200hp even easier?
If you can get 25mpg at 800hp with only C02 emissions, imagine what you can get at 200hp. *That’* the point.
Geez. I’m not sure MTV can dumb down any further, so please try a bit harder to follow the storyline.
^^^ Exactly so to the people who are saying the show was a waste of time in future don’t bother watching if it’s too much to take in
:)
I am getting so tired of this. It’s a gag, it works though but who will invest in such conversions 800BHP wahaaha. proof of concept worked though so I want to see any of you leave your car two days a week and use alternative transport, chances are 5% of you guys will the rest are to lazy, have no alternative or just feel so insecure as a cyclist in NY or LA think you must have a deathwish or the need of a job to ride a bike. blah blah blah get over it. PMR hat off I loved that episode.
Helllo,
Pimp My Ride
i have a car Chevrolet Corsa Sedan.
Hi pimp my ride I hav a car mitsbis can u giv me a new sape for that plz
My name is Reginald Baloyi,I am form South Africa and am 21years old i need help with my ride. i have TOYOTA sprita and i need ides of pimp my ride.