VW Beetle Bio Bug, a car that runs on human waste

11 August 2010

With all the efforts exerted to find alternative ways of running a car, one should have imagined this one coming. Vehicles have already run on natural compressed

With all the efforts exerted to find alternative ways of running a car, one should have imagined this one coming. Vehicles have already run on natural compressed gas, propane and all other types of gases. So why not sewage gases? A group of British engineers from Bristol has successfully developed a Volkswagen Beetle that runs on methane gas or bio-gas. The 'Poo-Powered' vehicle is a modified Volkswagen Beetle Bio bug that is developed to run on human waste processed at local sewerage plants.

This über-brilliant concept sparked from the mind GeneCo, a UK-based company researching for practical fuel alternatives that can be sustainable options to oil-based products that are currently in use. According to analysts, the 'Poo- Powered' Bio Beetle is a major improvement in this effort.

GeneCo claimed that raw human waste from just 70 Bristol homes can produce enough power to run a Beetle Bio-Bug for a year. This estimate is based on the average 10,000 mileage.

"On first hearing of the Bio-Bug, some people will smile, and some people will go 'yuck'! Either way, what I hope they realise is that this is exactly the kind of innovation we now need for a more sustainable world - and those directly involved should be proud they're making a small but significant contribution to it everyday!" said Jonathon Porritt, founder director of the Forum for the Future, a British sustainable development organisation.

"If you were to drive the car you wouldn't know it was powered by biogas as it performs just like any conventional car. It is probably the most sustainable car around", said Mohammed Saddiq, general manager of GeneCo.

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