VOLKSWAGEN “BIO BUG”

New Beetle runs on poo power!

Would you drive a car powered by human waste?

On first hearing of the Bio Bug, some people will smile, and some will go ‘Yuck!’ Either way, what I hope they realize is that this is exactly the kind of innovation we now need for a more sustainable world – and those directly involved should be proud that they are making a small but significant contribution to it every day.

A Volkswagen Beetle that runs on methane produced from human waste in sewage sludge has been unveiled in Bristol. This new version of VW Beetle model will be a hybrid version. The green hybrid from the German auto maker will be launched sometime in the next year which will be a more practical model in the market.

This funny looking VW Beetle is the most advanced poo-powered vehicle to date! And it’s the most efficient as well. Waste flushed down the toilets of just 70 homes in Bristol is enough to power the Bio-Bug for a year, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles. The car is a viable alternative to electric vehicles.

The Bio-Bug is a conventional 2 litres VW Beetle convertible, which has been modified to run on both conventional fuel and compressed methane gas. The car is started using unleaded petrol but automatically switches to methane when the engine is ‘up to the temperature’. If the methane tank runs out, the Bio-Bug reverts back to petrol. If both the tanks were filled up with methane, the car would travel for 250 miles. The biogas is enough to power a conventional two litre VW Beetle convertible to 250 mph without affecting the vehicle performance. And the drivers won’t even know the difference.

Recent reports from the auto makers reveal that Volkswagen is planning to unveil their latest Beetle with a completely redesigned exterior at the upcoming 2011 Detroit Auto show. The specifications are not yet known but it is speculated that it could be similar to their New Compact Coupe (NCC) that the German auto manufacturers showed off last year. For the record, the New Compact Coupe or the NCC features a 1.4 litre TSI in-line four cylinder engine and a 20 kilowatt electric motor. The car is powered by lithium–ion battery pack which generates 177 hp and 100 pounds of torque with the fitted motor. The new VW Beetle will be able to meet the above said specifications and may even go beyond. It can have some more power given the tough competition it might get from Toyota and Hyundai’s hybrid cars in the same size segment.

Countries including India and China use compressed natural gas to power vehicles and a number of companies in the UK are now using CNG mainly to fuel buses and commercial vehicles. In Sweden, more than 11,500 vehicles already run on bio methane produced from sewage; it first must be treated with anaerobic digestion, a process in which microorganisms – in the absence of oxygen – break down biodegradable material to produce methane. In an extra step to purify the methane, the GEM eco engineers used specialist equipment to strip carbon dioxide from the bio gas. The methane is stored in the two pressurized storage tanks in the boot of the Bio-Bug vehicle. The storage tanks are pressurized to about 200 bar and the vehicle is connected up, it basically equalizes pressure of the methane.

The vehicle still depends on petrol but only for a moment after starting the engine. Once the engine’s temp reaches 30 ° C, the petrol injectors shut down and the methane ones open up. While it is environmental friendly, it does not mean that the vehicle produces no emissions. It produces CO₂ out the tailpipe but it’s important to know where that CO₂is coming from .Of course, it’s not coming from yesterday’s CO₂ buried in the ground as oil , it is today’s CO₂ from waste . So it is environmental friendly.

If you were to drive the car you wouldn’t know it was powered by biogas as it performs just like any other conventional car. It is probably the most sustainable car around!!

Wouldn’t you want to go buy this one!

ARTICLE SUBMITTED BY:

KAVYA P.

3^RD YEAR, B.A (PJOE)