HOUGHTON — Four groups of freshman in the science honors program at Houghton College demonstrated alternative fuel go-carts Thursday afternoon, drawing a crowd of parents and fellow students on a bright day.
After taking a demonstration lap in each car, the four teams briefly presented some of the key features of their cars and what they learned regarding the pros and cons of each.
Christina Siau from Syracuse talked about the bio-diesel-powered cart her team built. They chose algae and coffee for fuel. “We figured if we can run on coffee, why not use it to run our car, too?” she said.
Making bio-diesel fuel from coffee proved expensive, though — $2,700 a gallon, they calculated — so they used waste oil from the food service instead, which is why it was dubbed “The French-fry car.”
The hydrogen fuel cell car was actually a hybrid, with the fuel cell making electricity which the cart stored in batteries to drive a pair of electric motors. “Basically, we’re running an electric car here,” said Gabriel Browning, the group’s spokesman from Aitkin, Minn. “The electricity is produced right on the spot.”
Welcome to the discussion.