The driver of a coffee-powered car set a speed record
today.
With a Guinness World Records adjudicator looking on,
conservationist Martin Bacon, 42, got his specially modified Ford
P100 pick-up truck to go more than
65mph.
Watched by his wife Jill, father-of-two Mr Bacon, from
Teesdale, north-east England, completed his run at Woodford
Airfield in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
The speed is the fastest ever
for this type of vehicle.
The vehicle uses coffee chaff pellets - the waste product
from coffee production - which are heated in a charcoal fire where
they break down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen.
The gas is cooled and filtered before hydrogen is combusted
to drive the engine.
The car was commissioned by The Co-Operative to mark the 10th
anniversary of it converting all its coffee to
Fairtrade.
Mr Bacon said: 'We’re thrilled to have taken the speed record
for the fastest car of this kind.
'This Coffee Car has been years in the making, although any
car can run on gasification.
'In fact, during the Second World War, there were over
100,000 vehicles in the UK that ran on gasification, including
cars, buses and delivery vehicles.
'At the beginning of the 20th century, there were over
900,000 vehicles running on gasifiers across the
world.'
The Co-operative Food Chief Executive, Steve Murrells, said:
'The Bean Machine’s record and UK tour are a great way to get
people talking about Fairtrade and how buying Fairtrade products
can make a real difference to the lives of producers, their
families and local communities in developing countries.
Powered by coffee: The coffee chaff in a bag and the gasifier
(right) on the back of the car
The car, built and driven by eco-engineer, Martin Bacon from
Teesdale, County Durham, achieved a speed of 65.536mph at the
Woodford Aerodrome, Stockport, Cheshire
