Coffee Powered Pickup Truck

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

How's this for an alternative fuel? This guy uses spent coffee grounds to run his 1975 Chevy truck. It uses a wood gassifier to turn partially burnt grounds, etc. into a combustible gas to power the truck. This could be a very useful technology if the economy crashes and we can't afford gas!

http://gas2.org/2008/05/14/a-truck-...ds-and-how-wood-gas-powers-cars-with-garbage/

 

[78mali350]

is this man lazy or a genius? I find him to be lazy which leads to genius.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

Well, here's another one: a Wood powered Yugo from Serbia. It was built with assistance from "Igor". No, I am not making that up!:

http://freeweb.deltha.hu/zastava.in.hu/wood-gas.htm

For a fun Google quest, try search terms "Holtzgas", and "wood gas". I even have a FEMA brochure on how to do this saved to my desktop, right along with surviving a nuclear war and the NOAA tornado spotter's guide. I like to read through this stuff when I am looking for something lighthearted and fun.

 

[R/T kota]

I run on coffee and drive a pick up. Does that count?

 

[2000.malibu.ls]

demand for a product increases the price. coffee is too valuable to me as a drink, and while there may be some coffee stains in my car, i would not let my car run on it lol.

 

[v8power]

what a waste of a holly!! lol

 

[Uncletruck]

That truck and Yugo look like they were built on the Red Green Show, where duct tape reigns king 😀 I guess "Mr. Fusion" isn't too far away :lol:

-UT-

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

I'd buy a Mr Fusion. Then all I'd need is a 640hp electric Mini to use it on and I'd be set!

But seriously, the truck runs on used coffee grounds, not new ones. It also runs on other biomass garbage that has been pelletized. So, it really just runs on garbage, making it almost free energy. It's ugly, but it is cheap.

Have I also mentioned that I secretly desire to own a Yugo GVX? It's the Yugo of sports cars!

 

[yourownself]

does that yugo have concrete ballasts on the roof? that's exquisite!

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If you read the article, you will find out how it works. Basically though, the wood goes through "Pyrolysis", or partial decomposition in fire, in the cylindrical furnace at the back. This creates the "Wood Gas" which is then plumbed through the condensers on the roof to cool the charge. From there, it is plumed into the engine where a valve replaces the carburetor to meter the amount of reactants allowed into the engine, thus controlling the speed of the engine.

Pyrolysis basically is a controlled burn of the wood, coal or other biomass material. It restricts the amount of combustible material consumed in the fire by depriving it of oxygen. This gives off a gas in the smoke which can then complete it's combustion inside the engine when it is re-ignited by the spark plug. Engine vacuum meters the rate of the reaction by limiting it's ability to give off smoke as the smoke is inhaled by the engine to make it run.