A North-East inventor driving a car powered by waste generated from coffee production has raced into Guinness Book of Records after clocking up an average speed of more than 65mph.
Eco-engineer Martin Bacon, 42, set the record in his Coffee Car – a specially modified 1989 Ford P100 pick-up – watched by his wife Jill at Woodford Airfield in Stockport, Greater Manchester.
Mr Bacon, who runs Teesdale Conservation Volunteers (Rotters), in Barnard Castle, reached 65.5mph, a world best for this type of vehicle.
The vehicle uses coffee chaff pellets – the waste 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.
Mr Bacon said: “We’re thrilled to have taken the speed record for the fastest car of this kind.
“We got up to 69mph one way and about 63mph the other, so it did okay. This is an old model.
“We put a new 1600 engine in but even with petrol, the top speed would have been about 85mph.”
The car was commissioned by The Co-Operative to mark the 10th anniversary of the company converting all its coffee to Fairtrade.
Source: Darlington & Stockton Times
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