The Fastest Bean Machine In The World!

The Bean Machine? Nope!

A coffee-powered car has given its owner grounds to celebrate – after breaking a world speed record.

The Real Bean Machine

The British-made Bean Machine hit 65.5mph on Tuesday to become the fastest vehicle to run on caffeine.

Inventor Martin Bacon, 42, said the 1989 Ford pick-up is driven on pellets produced from waste in coffee production.

Fuel: Martin Bacon pours in the pellets

‘We’re thrilled to have taken the speed record for the fastest car of this kind,’ he said.

‘Coffee chaf pellets, which are produced from the waste in coffee production, are heated in a charcoal fire, where they break down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen.

‘The gas is then cooled and filtered before hydrogen is combusted to drive the engine.

Record holder: Mr Bacon in the Bean Machine

‘Any car can run on gasification,’ he added. ‘In fact, during the World War II, there were over 100,000 vehicles in the UK that ran on gasification, including cars, buses and delivery vehicles.

‘At the beginning of the 20th century, there were over 90,000 vehicles running on gasifiers across the world.’

He was presented with a Guinness World Record at Woodford airfield near Manchester.

Mercedes Ener-G-Force

Called the Mercedes-Benz Ener-G-Force Concept, this futuristic G-wagen has long-term operations in remote areas in mind. The Energ-G-Force is powered by recycled water stored in rooftop tanks which is then transferred to a “hydro-tech” system that converts the water and other resources into hydrogen fuel.

As with anything operating in remote areas, redundancy is key. The Ener-G-Force uses four wheel-mounted motors, which means that even if two motors die, you’ve still got enough power to limp along. In a nod to law enforcement, the amount of vulnerable glass is limited, protecting the occupants from unruly hippies and angry bears.

It’s a pretty cool concept, though not one I ever expect Mercedes to put on the road. But I’ve always enjoyed works of futurism, and this concept is no exception.

With this year’s design challenge calling for the ultimate law enforcement vehicle of 2025, Mercedes designers sketched that car, and the took it a step further with this civilian rendition of what the police machine could look like.

Using hydrogen fuel cells and a “hydro-tech converter” where “natural and renewable resources are converted into hydrogen for operating the fuel cells” the Ener-G-Force offers an emission free range of 500 miles an features independent electric motors in each wheel. A “Terra-Scan” topography scanner then scans the road ahead to determine spring and damper rates.