The Bean Machine

Celebrating ten years of 100% Fairtrade coffee.

The Bean Machine is a car that is powered entirely by coffee chaf.

Coffee chaf is the waste product left over from coffee production. It gets turned into pellets, heated in a charcoal fire and broken down into carbon monoxide and hydrogen. The gas is then cooled and filtered before hydrogen is combusted to drive the engine. This process is called gasification.

The Co-operative Food is hoping to make it into the 2013 Guinness Book of Records, as the car travels 1600 miles around the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Guinness Book of Records
cars

How does it work?

The gasifier runs at a temperature of 900˚C and the gas coming off is around 300˚C. The heat has to be lowered to 20˚C before it gets to the engine.

In the Second World War, there were over 100,000 vehicles in the UK that ran on gasification, including cars, buses and delivery vehicles and at the beginning of the 20th century, there were over 900,000 vehicles running on gasifiers across the world.

Gasification is used today in power stations in the UK, making gas from household waste.

In 2011, the world produced 7.9 million tons of coffee - this would fuel the Coffee Car for 31 billion miles!

Spart plug

The Bean Machine: On tour

The Co-operative Food is hoping to make it into the 2013 Guinness Book of Records, as the car travels 1600 miles around the UK during Fairtrade Fortnight.

Tour locations

Time
Day
Location
9.00am - 10.30am
Monday 25th Feb
Manchester
11.00am - 12.30pm
Monday 25th Feb
Oldham
2.30pm - 3.30pm
Monday 25th Feb
Bradford
10.00am - 11.30am
Tuesday 26th Feb
Leeds
12.15pm - 2.00pm
Tuesday 26th Feb
Wakefield
2.45pm - 3.45pm
Tuesday 26th Feb
Sheffield
10.00am - 11.30am
Wednesday 27th Feb
Nottingham
12.15pm - 1.30pm
Wednesday 27th Feb
Derby
3.00pm - 4.15pm
Wednesday 27th Feb
Birmingham
10.00am - 11.30am
Thursday 28th Feb
Northampton
12.30pm - 2.00pm
Thursday 28th Feb
Milton Keynes
3.30pm - 4.30pm
Thursday 28th Feb
Cambridge
10.30am - 11.30am
Friday 1st March
Croydon
1.00pm - 2.00pm
Friday 1st March
Horsham
3.00pm - 4.00pm
Friday 1st March
Brighton
10.30am - 11.30am
Saturday 2nd March
Southampton
1.00pm - 2.00pm
Saturday 2nd March
Amesbury
3.30pm - 4.30pm
Saturday 2nd March
Bath
10.00am - 11.30am
Sunday 3th March
Bristol
1.30pm - 3.00pm
Sunday 3th March
Newport
10.00am - 11.30am
Monday 4th March
Llandrindod Wells
2.00pm - 3.30pm
Monday 4th March
Wrexham
10.00am - 11.30am
Tuesday 5th March
Chester
1.00pm - 2.00pm
Tuesday 5th March
Liverpool
3.00pm - 4.00pm
Tuesday 5th March
Wigan
10.00am - 11.30am
Wednesday 6th March
Blackburn
12.30pm - 2.00pm
Wednesday 6th March
Preston
2.45pm - 4.15pm
Wednesday 6th March
Blackpool
10.00am - 11.30am
Thursday 7th March
Morecambe
1.30pm - 3.00pm
Thursday 7th March
Carlisle
10.00am - 11.00am
Friday 8th March
Dumfries
1.30pm - 2.30pm
Friday 8th March
Paisley
3.15pm - 4.15pm
Friday 8th March
Glasgow
10.30am - 11.30am
Saturday 9th March
East Lothian
3.00pm - 4.00pm
Saturday 9th March
Tyne and Wear
10.00am - 11.30am
Sunday 10th March
Middlesbrough
1.00pm
Sunday 10th March
Barnard Castle

getting involvedTweet #BeanMachine

Follow The Co-operative Bean Machine on its trip around the country.
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Discover more about our Fairtrade Range. Find out more >
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