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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: 2) by That_Dude on Sunday May 24 2015, @10:02AM
I'm more curious about the quality of the biomethane. Anaerobic digester output is typically 60% to 70% methane with the rest mostly being carbon dioxide. Unless the Bus Hound's engine is designed to cope with the dirty gas, the biomethane had to have been processed.
I looked at the Reading Bus site and found no mention of biomethane production or usage. The about us environment page seems a bit vague and the FAQ's are lacking in that area as well. I want to be able to analyze the full picture. The happy "green" rhetoric just doesn't exactly roll my socks up and down.