Coffee-Fueled Car

By John Farrier in Food & Drink, Science & Tech on Mar 8, 2010 at 3:31 pm

The Carpuccino, built by the team at the BBC science show Bang Goes the Theory, runs on coffee grounds. These are burned and the resulting carbon monoxide powers the car:

The team calculates the Carpuccino will do three miles per kilo of ground coffee – the equivalent of about 56 espressos per mile.

The journey will use about 70 kilos of ground coffee which, at supermarket prices of between £13 and £26 a kilo depending on brand and quality, will cost between £910 and £1,820, or between 25 and 50 times the £36 cost of petrol for the journey.

Link via Fast Company | Photo: The Daily Mail


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  1. Edward
    Mar 8th, 2010 at 3:36 pm

    Now, if we took used coffee grounds and tea leaves. tumbled them with used bacon fat and cooking grease, we would have a fuel that cost nothing, go three times as far per "gallon" and still not meet anyone's emission requirements.

  2. Hal (GT)
    Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:29 pm

    LOL I can imagine how great those emissions must smell.

  3. PaulVI
    Mar 8th, 2010 at 6:54 pm

    Like breakfast, I guess.

  4. swag
    Mar 8th, 2010 at 9:14 pm

    Sigh. All the good applications of biofuels technology, and its this headline gimmick that gets all the press.

  5. pan690053907
    Mar 9th, 2010 at 1:42 am

    i dont know what these guys do every day...

  6. Chris Maestro
    Mar 9th, 2010 at 7:01 am

    "Doc, it's a Scirocco!"

    "The way I see it, if you're gonna build a coffee-powered propulsion into a car, why not do it with some style?"

  7. Foreigner1
    Mar 10th, 2010 at 6:27 am

    Bad coffee day:

    I hate it when even my car starts to drink even more coffee than me in the morning.............

  8. Mcihael Podgoetsky
    Mar 10th, 2010 at 6:05 pm

    I think working for BBC will make you drink lots of coffee, what else can you at BBC?, but drink coffee and one day It'll hit you in the head and you start to waste a good coffee.
    Like for example instead of enjoying a good cup of coffee you might think of placing it inside your fuel tank!
    Stop working for the BBC is my prognosis! Imideatly.
    Keep your hands off,of our Coffee

    :)
    Michael

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    Aug 4th, 2010 at 12:21 am

    Excellent ! Does-it work for tea as well ? There would be a huge market in the UK, Australia and New Zealand !

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