Coffee-fuelled car completes 400-km journey

UNITED KINGDOM 12th March

An experimental car fuelled by the fumes from roasting coffee grounds has successfully made the 250-mile (402-km) trip between London and Manchester in mid-March, local reports said.

The vehicle, a 1988 Volkswagen Scirocco bought for £400 (€440), was adapted by engineer Jem Stansfield for the BBC television programme Bang Goes The Theory.

The adapted car uses a roaster in the boot to generate flammable gases from coffee grounds, fuelling the engine, according to the reports.

The vehicle took 17 hours to complete the journey, with breaks every 60 miles to add more coffee, make sure the filters were clean and that the engine was not overheating.

However, the TV series editor said that traffic congestion on the motorways was the biggest cause of delay on the trip.