07/02/2008, 9:25 AM
Industry/General
Drunk driving gets new meaning as Prince Charles converts Aston Martin to run on bioethanol from wine
Over in the Old World, Prince Charles is using surplus wine to power his classic ride, a 1970 Aston Martin DB6 convertible given to him by the Queen on his 21st birthday. Technically, the wine is distilled into bioethanol first, and while the carbon footprint of the car, which is only driven about 300 miles per yer, is negligible, it’s the kind of publicity stunt that draws headlines to the Royal Family.
The white wine comes from a vineyard in Wiltshire, England, which produces more drink than it is permitted to bottle as per EU regulations. The vineyard then sells the excess to Green Fuels of Gloucester, where it is converted to bioethanol and sold at £1.10 a liter (about $8.26 per gallon, though still less than gasoline) says the U.K.’s Daily Mail. Charles’ Aston returns about 10mpg, or less than five bottles of wine per mile.
The 100 percent bioethanol fuel emits about 85 percent less carbon dioxide than regular gasoline. Other measures taken by the environmentally-conscious Charles include reed bed sewage systems and wood-chip boilers at his two homes, as well as feeding his cows as much grass instead of grain as possible in an attempt to cut their greenhouse-harming emissions.
07/02, 9:33 AM
posted by:
HemiRoadRunner
So if you feed cows grass instead of grain, they fart less? Interesting. Well done LLN
07/02, 10:23 AM
posted by:
xyunya
What a splendid idea! Since nobody in right mind ever purchased that fine wine making Aston go on it is a brilliant thought. I wonder if exhaust will affect breathalyzer reading?
07/02, 10:41 AM
posted by:
injunraiv
If he puts the top down, he needs to do something about those parachute ears. They HAVE to be dragging his economy down to nil…
07/02, 10:49 AM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
…somebody pass the Grey Poupon, I hear it goes well with white.
07/02, 10:51 AM
posted by:
bdizzlefizzle
Who did the math here? 10mpg is not 5 liters per mile, it’s a half liter per mile.
07/02, 11:29 AM
posted by:
corvette
and with that Aston sales go up 70%.
07/02, 12:09 PM
posted by:
JohnnyBlazE
corvette… yes because the DB6 is a current model…
07/02, 2:39 PM
posted by:
angelo
Hang the Prince! Anyone doing that kind of malady to this car deserves nothing short of prompt execution.
07/02, 4:47 PM
posted by:
Rafa LL
That’s a pretty stupid system if you ask me. It’s all right with organic things or even cow shi7 but wine?!?
That’s a completely showoff.
07/02, 7:17 PM
posted by:
1c3d0g
Right. He’s got all the wine in the world to drink now that his murdered Diana is out of the picture. Who gives a sh!t about this asshole anyway? I say hang ‘em all and split their riches to the poor in the U.K.
07/04, 1:33 PM
posted by:
beantownslut
Prince Charles should use that wine to get a woman drunk enough to sleep with him
07/04, 3:27 PM
posted by:
tripleonefive
I guess the American equivalent would be to power your GM with some Budweiser