If you follow the alternative vehicle headlines, you’ve probably seen the stories about the VW Beetle that’s been converted to “run on poop.”  All of the expected puns have been used: Dung Beetle, the Bio Bug, etc.  To burst the bubble right away, though, this VW is just a car running on compressed natural gas (CNG) that happens to come from a novel source.

Yes, the car has been modified to run on methane (aka “natural gas”) and that methane is coming from a sewage treatment plant owned by Wessex Water, who owns the company working on the car and it’s technology, GENECO.

The idea is kind of cool, but not exactly new.  Sewage- and garbage-based methane as a fuel source has been around for a while.  Usually as a way to generate electricity, though, not as a way to power a car.

Of course, the Dung Beetle (couldn’t resist) requires the waste from 70 households in order to go 10,000 miles annually.  Somehow, I doubt we’re all going to be car sharing on that scale anytime soon.  Still, it’s an interesting process, just not entirely practical.

It did get some great headlines, though.  BeliefNet hit the proverbial nail on the head with their one-line synopsis, though:  Finally, a car that runs on something we’ll never run out of.

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