Stolen truck likely wafting greasy french-fry fumes
The driver of a stolen truck altered to run on vegetable oil will notice a “quite obvious” greasy aroma, the truck’s owner said Thursday.
The smell varies between Chinese food and french fries, depending on which local restaurant gave him free, leftover cooking oil, owner Greg Meimar said.
“I think it was probably a surprise to them.”
Meimar discovered his white Ford F-350 truck missing Monday morning after he left it parked outside his home overnight in the Aspen Gardens neighbourhood.
Meimar, a mechanical engineer, designed the truck himself, inspired by people who’ve done the same in the United States. He has been working on it for about five years and spent around $3,000 on parts, he said.
“That’s the sad part. I’ve had vehicles stolen before, but it’s never been a vegetable truck. Someone stole my little hobby.”
That hobby has saved him about $7,500 over five summers of driving, he said. The trucks witches between diesel and vegetable oil with the flick of a switch, for example, when the vegetable oil hardens in the cold winters.
“It’s kind of a no-brainer. It’s an opportunity to marry sustainability and cost savings,” Meimar said. “It’s up to everyone to find opportunities to be more environmentally friendly, however they choose to do that.”
The truck’s engine was set to run on diesel Sunday night, but that tank was low. The diesel tank’s also locked, so the thief will have to change settings to use the vegetable oil supply, a tricky task for a driver unfamiliar with the process, Meimar said. He hopes the thief will abandon the truck. Police have recovered the licence plate.