Coffee power fuels BBC road trip

11 March 2010

Coffee power has been harnessed to fuel a car which will take a BBC television presenter on a 210-mile trip from London to Manchester to draw attention to the world's energy crisis.

Some 10,000 high-strength espressos will be needed to fuel the low-carbon vehicle, built entirely out of scrap for the task.

By harnessing the flammable gases that are released by coffee grounds, the car will ferry Bang Goes The Theory presenter Jem Stansfield from BBC TV Centre in west London to Manchester for The Big Bang: UK Young Scientists' and Engineers' Fair.

Stansfield said the trip has been organised to get children thinking about where energy comes from and how they can play a part in solving the world's energy crisis.

"Everyone recognises that coffee can give a person a bit of a boost, but many probably had no idea it had enough energy locked away to power a car.

"It's important for kids to understand that power is not something that is mystically there, simply at the flick of a switch or by pushing a pedal.

"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."

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