Coffee, an alternative fuel? "Car-puccino" runs on espresso

A coffee-powered car, nicknamed "car-puccino," is going on a 210-mile road trip today. It will burn the equivalent of more than 10,000 espressos. Will it make it?

The converted 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco will go from BBC's Television Centre in London to Manchester, where it will showcase alternative fuels at the annual Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers Fair. 

The coffee-powered car, nicknamed 

CAPTIONBy Sam Burnett, BBC The car, averaging 56 espressos per mile, has a system that converts used coffee grounds into flammable gas. It will have to stop every 40 to 60 miles to add more granules and rid the coffee filters of the soot and tar generated by the process. Because of the frequent coffee stops, the journey will take about ten hours. 

Jem Stansfield, an engineer and presenter of BBC One's science show 

CAPTIONBy Sam Burnett, BBCDriving will be Jem Stansfield, engineer and presenter of BBC One's science show "Bang Goes the Theory." Why all this bother?

"With the energy challenge that is facing the world, the more we encourage children to think about alternative fuels, where energy is stored and how it can be released, the better!," Stansfield says in a press release.

Nick Watson, the show's producer, says coffee, like wood or coal, has some carbon content so it be used as a fuel, according to a report in the UK's Mail Online.

"'The coffee needs to be very dry and in pellets to allow the air to move through the pile of coffee as it burns. The brand doesn't matter," he tells the Mail. He says the same gasification process could be used to power a car with other unusual fuels such as "woodchips or walnut shells."

The "car-puccino," because of its heavy drinking, is unlikely to become commercially viable. It consumes a kilo of ground coffee for every three miles, so driving it any distance is a much more expensive habit than buying a daily latte at Starbucks.

From: USA Today