Would you be willing to drive a souped-up, caffeine-powered, coffee guzzling car to work every morning? Just imagine stopping at Starbucks and getting two cups of coffee, one for you and one for your Chevrolet. It could happen, according to the Times newsfeed today.
There is a great deal of concern over the amount of damage being done to our environment because of our use of coal and petroleum products. This has given rise to an unending quest to find alternative fuel sources that will be eco-friendly and readily available.
We are familiar with methanol, electricity, natural gas and propane as fuel sources. While being used as an alternative fuel to some extent, these fuels are used mostly for purposes other than transportation. But 42-year old British conservationist, Martin Bacon thinks coffee is amazing.
Bacon insists that there is nothing coffee can't do. The caffeinated boost that helps millions may be just the tip of the iceberg. For one thing, his Ford pickup truck loves coffee. Bacon converted his truck into the "Coffee Car Mark 2."
How did he do this? He installed a charcoal stove on his truck. He then roasts coffee bean chaff (a by-product of the roasting process). The steam produced contains carbon monoxide and hydrogen. These gases are cooled, and the hydrogen is used to fuel the gas-powered engine.
The real lowdown on using coffee as a fuel is that starting the vehicle is rather difficult. Before turning the key in the ignition, the coffee pellets have to be loaded into the boiler, and pressure has to build up high enough to get the car to start.
He can now also brag that his truck is the fastest coffee-powered vehicle in the world, too. His truck was able to hit a top speed of 65 mph in the presence of an official from the "Guiness Book of World Records" at Woodford Airfield in Manchester, U.K. on Feb. 19, 2013.
Bacon's vehicle was not the first car to use food as a source of fuel. In 2009, a Warwick University scientist built a Formula 3 racing car that ran on chocolate extract. It is not known if marshmallows were included. The car was able to reach speeds of 145 mph, but was banned from the racing circuit because of it's odd fuel failing to meet regulations.
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