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Friday, May 29, 2015

U.K. bus powered by cow manure breaks speed record

The UK's poo-powered bus, the "Bus Hound," has broken the land speed record for a regular service bus. The bus, operated by Reading Buses, hit a confirmed top speed of 76.785mph around the Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire.

The bus, powered by biomethane derived from cow manure, would usually be limited to 56mph. 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.

"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 80mph."

For more of the Ars Technica story: arstechnica.com