Our Sustainable Technology

Different people have different definitions for “sustainable” or “renewable” fuels.

We’re using fuels that don't add to the carbon cycle. That means that the carbon emitted when the fuel is used is the same as the carbon absorbed out of the atmosphere when the fuel was being produced.

Fossil fuels are made from crude oil that comes out of the ground. The carbon they emit was stored in the ground and by burning it, it’s being released into the atmosphere.

Biofuels are made from plants that absorbed carbon while growing. Often Biofuels need energy to convert the plants into fuel and then they have to be transported. The energy to produce and transport them often comes from fossil fuels because they are currently the most common source of energy.

Using crops to produce fuel instead of food has been blamed for rising food prices, however the cause is more likely to be crop shortages and the rising price of energy (needed to cultivate, transport and package food).
As this is still a contentious issue we’ll be using waste products or “second generation” sources of biofuel.

Second Generation is the name that is given to crops which haven’t traditionally been used to make Biofuels but produce better results than the traditional crops (like sunflowers and rape seed). The most widely talked about 2nd Generation crops are Jatropha (which grows in arid conditions where food can’t be grown) and Algae (which can produce 1000 times more oil in the same space).

Our Fuel

Our bus has a standard Diesel Engine which can run on Biodiesel. We’ll be adding a Regenatec conversion kit to allow the bus to run on vegetable oil. We’ll be setting off with our 3000 litres thanks full of waste vegetable oil (WVO), and we’ll be seeking out WVO along the journey to top up with.

We’ll also be adding solar panels on the roof of the bus to power a "hydrolyser". This converts water into Hydrogen and Oxygen. The hydrogen is then mixed into the engine’s air intake and dramatically improves the fuel economy. So we can go further with our fuel. The engine converts the hydrogen back into water which comes out of the exhaust.

So instead of running on diesel and air, it will be running on vegetable oil and hydrogen.

Electric Flight

We’ll be using an electric paramotor to take to the air during the trip. Paramotors are the smallest and therefore the most efficient type of powered aircraft.

The batteries for the paramotor will be charged by the solar panels and the electricity produced by the engine’s alternator.

We’ll also be taking an unpowered paraglider, which uses muscle power to get airborne and rides the thermals of rising air created by the sun.

Low Impact Home

The bus will be converted into our home for a year on the road. We’re hoping to include as many creature comforts as possible but all the power for these devices will have to come from sustainable sources. We’ll have a wood burning stove to cook on and heat our shower water, and we’ll be using a waterless composting toilet in the bus!

Other Energy Saving Devices

The bus will be using special tyres that improve fuel economy, and be equipped with fuel consumption gauges that allow us moderate our driving style to reduce fuel wastage. We are also investigating a system that generates energy through the brakes.

We’re estimating that with full tanks we can travel 15,000km and this range will be an essential capability which allows us to source sustainable fuels on route.