We have all heard of and are fascinated by the concept of electric cars which are certainly the wave of our future, but a car that relies on the same thing you do to get started in the morning; namely a cup of java, represents a union of man, woman, coffee grinds and machines that is a bit hard to take.
The Carpuccino car was built from a converted 1988 Volkswagon Scirocco by a team from the BBC science show, Bang Goes The Theory. The motivation was to prove the feasibility of cars powered by fuels other than conventional gasoline and diesel.
Producing bio-fuel from waste coffee grounds is not a new concept, but the ability of the drivers of these new cars to pour coffee granules directly into a gas cylinder, where it is heated up and broken down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide, represents a place where no bio-fuel applications have ventured before.
Alas, the Carpuccino is not the most practical of innovations, as according to the UK Daily Mail, when broken down by miles per trip, the car requires approximately 56 espressos per mile. Unfortunately, this translates into 25 and 50 times the cost of regular gas, which means that it actually turns out to be cheaper to stick with regular gasoline (at least where your car is concerned).
It would appear that the concept of sustainability has propelled the creativity of car-makers up more than a notch, which is commendable even if it didn’t work this time.
Maybe what the car really needs is a hearty breakfast, like ham and eggs, to fuel itself for a heavy day on the road?
After all, protein is the building block of…well, life.
Are you listening, General Motors?
marjorie
Latest posts by marjorie (see all)
- Nathan Sawaya: LEGO Artist Extraordinaire - April 7, 2012
- Is Recently Discovered Fossil Ape or Man? - October 5, 2011
- Extreme Diving Stunt From Roof of Boston Art Museum - October 1, 2011
Subscribe to SoJones RSS feed