So we have hybrid vehicles that uses both fuel and electricity to power itself, and then we have pure electric vehicles that does not rely on fuel but will require constant charging with a limited range, but are there alternatives that is able to rely on renewable energy sources? Well, how does the idea of your car being powered by poo sound to you?
While we’ve yet to see that idea take off for regular cars, over in the UK, the country’s first “poo bus” has been put into rotation and will be ferrying passengers between Bristol and Bath. The bus will be the first of its kind in the UK and will rely on biomethane gas that is emitted from the treatment of sewage and other waste provided by the Bristol sewage works.
The goal of this poo bus is to reduce the amount of pollution given off in city centers. For example it has been estimated that a biomethane-powered bus produces about 30% less greenhouse gases than their diesel counterparts. So what about the smell, you ask? Well apparently the gas has been purified before being released to prevent the bus from leaving behind a trail of what could only smell like a massive fart.
In terms of range, a biomethane-powered bus has also been estimated to be able to travel about 300km on a full tank which is actually pretty decent. However a full tank is essentially equivalent to a year’s worth of waste from five people.
According to Charlotte Morton, chief executive of the Anaerobic Digestion & Bioresources Association, “GENecos Bio-Bus is an excellent demonstration of biomethane’s unique benefits; decarbonising areas other renewables can’t reach. A home generated green gas, biomethane is capable of replacing around 10% of the UKs domestic gas needs and is currently the only renewable fuel available for HGVs.” So, would you like to ride in a “poo bus”?
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