Video Of The Week - A Coffee Powered Vehicle?

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We all know that coffee can get humans all wired up and active, but powering a truck? That has to be a first! However, it is what engineer Martin Bacon and a group of volunteers from Teesdale Conservation in Durham, England were able to successfully demonstrate, on February, 19th, 2013.

The team began by removing the excess weight from the Ford P100 pickup truck they selected to conduct the experiment. They then modified its engine so that it could run on hydrogen - produced when coffee chaff pallets, (the waste from coffee production) are heated in a charcoal fire.

The modified hydrogen-powered pickup was able to exceed 65 mph, the fastest land speed achieved by a car running on gas using organic waste. Not surprisingly, it was immediately inducted into the Guinness World Records.

Impressed? You will be even more so, when you find out that this is not the first time Teesdale Conservation has built a coffee powered vehicle worthy of a world record. In 2010, they powered a modified 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco and drove it for about 209 miles all the way from London to Manchester- the longest drive ever undertaken, by an espresso powered vehicle!

Of course, Martin is not the first person to have conjured up the idea of a food-powered vehicle. In 2009, researchers from Warwick University designed a Formula 3 racing car that ran on chocolate extract and was able to achieve speeds of 145 mph. What was even more impressive is that the entire car was built from recycled materials. Unfortunately, it was banned from the championship because its unusual fuel did not meet the regulations!

Resource: Dailymail.co.uk,Journallive.co.uk

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416 Comments
  • Walker Stantonalmost 9 years
    That is so cool I want one because gas is to much money!
    • chelsabout 9 years
      that was amazing
      • carloverabout 9 years
        That'll be cheaper to run than a petrol-powered car. Hello to the future.
        • kzp
          kzpabout 9 years
          COOL
          • Wroteover 9 years
            That car has a lot of energy
            • Jtover 9 years
              That's cool
              • bocaj89
                bocaj89over 9 years
                awsome
                • opraover 9 years
                  that can save the earth so cool !
                  • tjillian
                    tjillianalmost 10 years
                    It's Coffee not gas. But man that's totally AWESOME!
                    • wpatrick
                      wpatrickalmost 10 years
                      like what THATS AWESOME! COFFEE! :D :D :D