World’s first whisky-powered car goes on its first successful debut drive

Jul 09, 2017

By Kalendra Withana,  Scotland has unveiled the world’s first car that successfully functions on a biofuel made from pure whisky residue.

The assigned name for this type of fuel is ‘biobutanol’ and it is known to be an eco-friendly replacement for petrol and diesel.

The fuel itself is specifically made from a yeasty liquid left over from the distilling and fermentation process. It is reported that it is not a requirement for vehicles to be modified in order to take on the fuel.

Picture photographed by Lesley Martin - Edinburgh News

The actual car was manufactured by Scottish spinout company, Celtic Renewables Ltd.

The firm’s leading founder and President, Professor Martin Tangney, issued the statement:

"What we developed was a process to combine the liquid with the solid, and used an entirely different traditional fermentation process called ABE, and it makes the chemical called biobutanol.

"And that is a direct replacement, here and now, for petrol".

He added: "This is the first time in history that a car has ever been driven with a biofuel produced from whisky production residues.

"It is fitting to do this historic drive in Scotland, which is famous not just for its world-renowned whisky but also for being a powerhouse for renewable energy."

The car embarked on its first ever test drive at Edinburgh Napier University and BBC Scottish reporter Lisa Summers was behind the wheel.

She commented on the smoothness of the car’s motion and pointed out that she did not notice there to be any difference between this car and a petrol or diesel-fuelled vehicle.

In terms of the funding for this type of vehicle to have a potential global market, Celtic Renewables Ltd have received a £9m government grant to build a commercial demonstrator plant in Scotland. It is hoped that this plant will be fully functioning by 2019.

It is believed that ‘biobutanol’ could potentially create an industry in Scotland worth £100m.

Furthermore, other whisky-producing countries, such as India, Japan and the US are hoped to be targeted and therefore be benefited from this uprising market.

Sources – BBC News, The Scotsman