See record-breaking coffee-powered car in Keynsham this weekend

A record-breaking car powered by coffee will be coming to Keynsham this weekend as part of a UK-wide tour to celebrate Fairtrade Fortnight.

Shoppers at the Co-op in Broadmead Lane will be able to see the ingenious 'Bean Machine' in action in the supermarket car park on Sunday from 10am to 11.30am.

The Bean Machine has been invented by eco-engineer Martin Bacon, from the Teesdale Conservation Centre. Last week at Woodford Aerodrome, near Manchester, it achieved a land speed record - 65.5 mph - for a vehicle powered on coffee.

The Bean Machine uses the process of gasification powered by coffee chaff pellets. The pellets, a by-product of coffee production, are heated by a charcoal fire and broken down into hydrogen and carbon monoxide. The gas is cooled and filtered before hydrogen is combusted to operate the engine.

Gasification was widely used  in England during the Second World War, where more than 100,000 vehicles were powered by the process.

Keynsham is one of almost 40 stores that the car is visiting during Fairtrade Fortnight (February 25 to March 10), raising the profile of the movement, while at the same time setting another world record, for the longest ever journey by a coffee-powered car – more than 1,600 miles.

This year marks 10 years since The Co-operative Food converted all its own-brand coffee to 100% Fairtrade, and Keynsham shoppers can pick up a free sample on Sunday morning.