ETA

Students have run a Triumph Daytona 675 motorbike using only biofuel made from crushed apples – and reached a record speed of 158.7 mph.

The initiative, entitled ‘Project Fast Fruit’, was thought up by Rupert Paul, a contributing editor of Bike magazine, in an attempt to convert and run a high-performance vehicle using only a basic biofuel.

Mr Paul said: “Biofuel is a buzzword at the moment, with the government setting a target for all petrol and diesel to contain a minimum 5 per cent by 2010.

“Biofuels are here to stay, and this experiment was all about exploring how much power we could extract from them – as well as having some fun.”

Andrea Friggi, PR & communications manager at Triumph Motorcycles, added that while this was a fun experiment, the company will be reviewing the results and is currently investigating making all its models compatible with 25 per cent ethanol fuel.

This news follows an announcement earlier this week that car designer MIRA had developed a battery pack hybrid vehicle upgrade that does not need a plug-in and potentially enables owners to save 61 per cent on fuel costs and lower tailpipe emissions by 39 per cent.

The ETA is a not-for-profit ethical organisation providing motorists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport.