Wood-burning Dodge trucks smoldering for coast-to-coast trip

As the WillieRun guys get ready to go from NYC to LA on one* tank of fuel, Wayne Keith down in Alabama is preparing to drive in a coast-to-coast race from South Carolina to California (and back) using nothing but a wood-burning truck. Keith's Bio-Trucks (there are currently four versions) use a system that gassifies wood in the bed and then feeds the syngas into the engine. According to the Bio-Truck website, Keith's race vehicle is a modified 1991 Dodge Dakota V8 pickup that can get about a mile per pound (a back-up vehicle, a 1987 Dodge Dakota V6, can go a mile and a half on that much carbon-containing wood). Top speeds for the two Bio-Trucks are 80 mph for the V8 and 65 for the V6. There's a reason that Keith uses older trucks: new trucks can't be converted because of their advanced fuel injection systems. Keith's partners in the BioTruck endeavor include Auburn University, Range Fuels and more. Thanks to tipster Joe P.

[Source: Bio-Truck Homepage]