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The UK's premier poo-powered bus, the "Bus Hound," has broken the land speed record for a regular service bus. The bus, which is operated by Reading Buses, hit a confirmed top speed of 76.785 mph (123.5 kph) around the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.
The bus, which is powered by biomethane derived from cow manure, would usually be limited to 56 mph. Reading Buses performed some "minor tweaks" to allow for the higher top speed (presumably some suspension tweaks and removal of the speed limiter), but otherwise it's a standard bus that would normally putter around the streets of Reading. The bus is painted black and white in a pattern that is reminiscent of the Friesian cows used for milk production in the UK.
"It was an impressive sight as it swept by on the track," Reading Buses' chief engineer John Bickerton told the BBC. "It sounded like a Vulcan bomber—the aerodynamics aren't designed for going 80 mph."
http://arstechnica.co.uk/business/2015/05/british-poo-powered-bus-sets-speed-record/
(Score: 4, Informative) by Dr Spin on Sunday May 24 2015, @07:12AM
A Greyhound is what we call a coach. It is designed for long distance travel - and in the UK would probably be licensed to go at 60MPH. I am
sure that they are designed to be capable of exceeding 70MPH, although the fuel consumption at that speed might be scary when you
pay $12 a gallon for diesel (which is about what it costs here).
A Bus is designed to operate in urban areas with a 30MPH speed limit. Sure they can do 56MPH, like an HGV, but the chances of
most of them even doing 40 MPH in their entire operating life is close to zero. Quite a few designs appear to be incapable of exceeding 40MPH.
Warning: Opening your mouth may invalidate your brain!
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday May 24 2015, @07:33AM
Good answer - thanks!
(Score: 2) by Nuke on Sunday May 24 2015, @12:25PM
So it is a "record" for something that normally goes slower, even though this "record" is slower than things that normally go faster.
Right.