By Richard Chen
May 27, 2008
Several years back, before ethanol as a motor fuel additive became all the rage, Sweden started a program to produce biogas. They envisioned a methane-based fuel made from sewage (with the aid of some bacteria) powering cars, trucks and buses. According to ever-hopeful engineers, with the right process, the average Swede craps out enough yearly to power an average car for an average of 75 miles. Unfortunately for FordonsGas, Dong Energy and other curiously named companies, the biogas biz has encountered the usual, uh, teething problems with new technology. Not to mention a distinct lack of biogas pumps and vehicles that can run on the stuff. (Biogas buses are out there, somewhere, while Volvo stopped making biogas powered vehicles a couple of years ago.) The International Herald Tribune reports that biogas boosters remain undaunted, hopeful of the process' long-term adoption. "When you're in the bathroom in the morning and you can see something good come of that, it's easy to be taken in by the idea – it's like a utopia," quoth a consultant. If you say so…
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POWERED
May 27th, 2008 at 11:14 am
Biogas is much better used as a natural gas substitute than it is as a motor fuel.
May 27th, 2008 at 11:57 am
Is that a real Volvo car? If so, what year and model? That is one of the sexiest cars I have ever seen! Those lines are gorgeous!
[edit] I looked at the filename, and what I thought was just numbers was actually the model. It’s a Volvo 1800. Not sure of the year yet.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:18 pm
A number of Dairies have built digesters for their manure. They then burn the methane and generate more than enough electricity to run the dairy. The same methane could be used to fuel a car, truck, or tractor.
May 27th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
It’s a customized ‘71 Volvo 1800 called the eVOLVO. Stock 1800’s (built throughout the ‘60s) were great looking but had bumpers, smooth hoods and unmodified rear-ends.
May 27th, 2008 at 3:47 pm
Now if we could only find the swede who only drives 75 miles a year.
May 27th, 2008 at 6:59 pm
Well here you can read about one of the companies, yes in english:
http://www.svenskbiogas.se/sb/english/
Many cities have busses powered by gas. Some of the gas comes from decomposing waste from “meat processing plants”. Always fun to see young angry vegetarians riding a bus powered by gas from dead rotten animals.