Grounds for Celebration: TV scientists convert VW Scirocco to run on coffee
This is what we mean when we say that the future of alternative fuels isn't anywhere close to being decided. A team from the BBC program Bang Goes the Theory has rigged an older Volkswagen Scirocco to run on coffee pellets. It's a bit complex, with the coffee grounds needing to be heated to 1,292 degrees Fahrenheit, and the resulting concoction cooled, separated and filtered before it's run to the engine. Because coffee contains carbon, however, it works.It's expensive, though. The trial run the Starbucks Scirocco will make from London to Manchester and back will cost more than 25 times what the same trip on gasoline would because the car goes just three miles on a kilo of coffee. The 209-mile trip is also take ten hours, due to the number of stops required to refill the fuel canister and regularly clean out the system.
So, on second thought, this is not what we mean when we talk about the future of alternative fuels. But it is really neat, and it's for the kids, and those sorts of things count for a lot in our book. Hat tip to Joviocoe!
[Source: The Daily Mail]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
adam1drift 12:28PM (3/13/2010)
so why cant we just use... gas?
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Nicholas 12:33PM (3/13/2010)
Well it is fitting. Today it is National Coffee Party Day:
http://coffeepartyusa.com/
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fixitfixitstop 12:35PM (3/13/2010)
I bet it's impossible to fall asleep at the wheel in that car.
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RAndroid 3:17PM (3/16/2010)
No kidding... lol I wonder what the pumping station would be like...
Hey can you fill er up with Caramel Macchiato with Soy (ya know for extreme eco folks)...
Actually.... There's no additional punch line here but I'm seeing the whole "Leaded and Unleaded" thing happening.
Like "Caffeinated", "UnCaffeinated" and "SuperCaffeinated"...
Note: "Espresso" would have been amusing but it actually has less caffeine than regular coffee. (i.e. darker roasts are less caffeinated)... ya know... And I only mention this part because some Tea Fanboy will pop in and go "Well that doesn't make any sense, Espresso has less caffeine and then they'd insert a dig at domestic auto maker for absolutely no reason..... and then I'd have to defend my comments...
Ya know what I mean?
ZachM 12:37PM (3/13/2010)
What a waste of coffee...
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Stumpy 12:39PM (3/13/2010)
Great, now my car has caffeine withdrawl.
..
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todd 12:42PM (3/13/2010)
Because gas is what moneygrubbing corporations and Republicans use. It is "technology" - that evil invention behind global warming. As usual - profits before people.
If only we would switch to rickshaws and composting toilets, we would then be a caring and conscious society. Instead, we have chosen the dark path of capitalism - despite the successes of Communism throughout history.
Just say "Yes We Can" to coffee-powered, sustainable transport.
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Yar 1:31PM (3/13/2010)
Because corporations and republicans don't own coffee farms or processing plants...
Sorry, but you can't do anything without a corporation. So enjoy your hypocritical life surfing the web on your corporation-sourced computer.
Nicholas 1:40PM (3/13/2010)
@Yar
lol you sounds like you are plugged into the Matrix.
unibrow 1:41PM (3/13/2010)
i can't tell if your rant is filled with sarcasm or is simply devoid of intelligence.
sparkster 12:51PM (3/13/2010)
Last year I saw a news channel do a special on bio-diesel from old coffee grounds. " They" made bio-diesel fuel in the lab not in the car. Long process.
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EEL 2:20PM (3/13/2010)
Of all the cheap, old cars they could have used, did it have to be a VW Scirocco!?
Oh, the humanity!
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BigDaddyKane 3:57PM (3/13/2010)
Sciroccos are sweet...
- Did ya know you can fit a 50cc size mini quad entirely in the back of the mkII Scirocco (with the hatch closed)?
- If you set the driver's seat to it's highest setting, a 6'3" person can drive normally with half of their head sticking out the sunroof
:P
chinsoo 3:10AM (3/14/2010)
another excuse to raise coffee prices.
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Syllepses 3:22AM (3/14/2010)
Make a vehicle run on feces. There will be a large, central tank with four (or five) places to fill the tank. These places are underneath each seat.
Do it. It'll be the PERFECT road trip vehicle. Stopping for 'gas' will be replaced by stopping for more food.
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