Other - 16,000 miles of American road and not a drop of gas

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16,000 miles of American road and not a drop of gas
Discover America’s new Coolfuel pioneers
By Alexandra Lambrinidis

Australian adventurer and television personality Shaun Murphy came to America to prove that there are alternatives to gasoline and diesel, and the result was a
one-of-a-kind cool-fuel road trip.
An 18-part TV series, Coolfuel Roadtrip, debuted this past fall on UPN and
follows Murphy, his Jack Russell Terrier sidekick Sparky, and the Coolfuel Crew as they set off on an incredible journey to conquer 16,000 miles of American Road using nothing but biodiesel and other cool fuels. “A coolfuel is anything besides gasoline,” explains Murphy. “You can grow it, squeeze it, fry it, heat it up, or catch it. Heck, you can even eat it!” And by using 12 of the coolest fuel sources he could get his hands on Murphy crossed 30 states on 30 different vehicles including cars, motorcycles, boats, even an airplane in order to tackle the ‘no gas’ challenge.

"The cool thing is most of the fuel we've used is being produced today on
American farms,” says Murphy on the different fuels that got him across the country. Particularly biodiesel, Murphy’s most precious resource. Able to run in any diesel engine he took full advantage of biodiesel: he used it to power a boat through the Orcas Islands and get him to the Canadian border, from LA to San Francisco he used it to fuel a 32-foot-long Hummer H1 stretch limousine that hit 75 miles per hour, and for kicks he took a spin around the track in a 125-mileper-hour biodiesel dragster. Whenever Murphy couldn’t find a clean source of electricity to power his electric vehicles it was biodiesel to the rescue – he’d just plug into a biodiesel-fuelled generator and the quick fix that would get him
another 40 miles or so down the road.

Made of everything from soybeans to veggie oil, and being increasingly available across the United States, biodiesel was the Coolfuel Crew’s lifeblood. "Biodiesel is the single fuel that made the TV production possible. Our production crew charged camera batteries, computers and lights via our biodiesel powered generator and our RV which we lived out of and produced the TV series out of, ran on B100 for 16,000 miles." explains Murphy.

But Murphy made use of some creative fuels as well. In the first episode, he used Geothermal energy to get him from his start point in San Francisco, through Northern California and to the Oregon Border. The coolfuel crew tapped into the famous ‘Geysers’ near Santa Rosa to get their hot-rock jump start.

"Steam-generated electricity produced from the effects of underground hot rock and water is just incredible. Intercepting a coolfuel from nature to kick us through northern California got us off to a great no-gas start. " says Murphy on a source used not only to power his vehicles but also used to generate heat pumps and clean energy power plants.

In the Rocky Mountains Murphy was on the hunt for water-power to charge an El Chopper motorbike. Cow Manure that produced electricity, powered an array of electric bikes through Wisconsin. Corn Whiskey (100 percent Ethanol) powered Murphy through the air across Iowa in a 1982 Mooney 201 airplane.

Hempoline (a mix of hemp oil and ethanol) powered a truck that has a helicopter jet turbine for an engine. The sun helped him knock off some miles by powering a solar canoe across gator-infested Lake Okeechobee in Florida. And vegetable oil –straight from the fryer - powered Murphy all through Texas.

Then there were Murphy’s truly visionary fuel choices. Enlisting the help of
engineer and inventor Russel Gehrke, an H2 Hummer was outfitted with a
gasifier which turns any sugar, yeast & starch based product into a fuel. They fed the Hummer’s gasifier beignets in New Orleans, then crawfish, Pop Tarts, and leftover Cajun food all across Louisiana. "We now have a 6 mile to the gallon gas guzzler steamin' along at around 12-15 mpg." Remarks Murphy on turning the biggest gas guzzler on the road, into a cool-fuel vehicle.

Murphy's challenge took him from San Francisco to the Canadian border, across the Rockies to the Great Lakes, east to New York, south to Florida, then across the Deep South all the way to LA and back to San Francisco. To complete the trek Murphy and his Crew found innovators and inventors who know a thing or two about designing and building vehicles and developing fuels from a wide range of resources and who ultimately enabled them get down the road. They also had some star power to keep them going with the likes of Daryl Hannah, Jack Johnson, Alexandra Paul, and actor Ed Begley, Jr. Throughout their adventure the Coolfuel team tackled the challenges of life on the American road – searching for new and out-of-this-world fuels, discovering strange vehicles, meeting amazing people and, on occasion, getting very, very lost.

The Fuels:
• Geothermal from San Francisco to Oregon
• Soybeans from Oregon to the Canadian border
• Water energy through Colorado
• Cow manure from Green Bay to Chicago
• Around Iowa on corn whiskey
• Garbage power from New York to DC
• Florida on sugar power and sunshine
• Hempoline through Alabama & Mississippi
• Food across Louisiana
• Texas on veggie oil
• New Mexico powered by wind
• Arizona on heat
• LA to San Francisco on any COOLFUEL ....in a stretch Limo Hummer

The Vehicles:
• Electra Cruiser, an electric hog motorcycle powered by cow poo and garbage
• Airplane flying on corn whiskey
• 37’ RV powered by soybeans and the sun
• Retro jet turbine-powered pickup truck fueled with vegetable oil
• Stretch Hummer limo powered by solar panels, hydrogen fuel cell and Cajun food
• T-ZERO, the fastest electric car in the world . . . 0 - 60 in 3.6 seconds
• Solar canoe – when the sun is shining . . . no paddles necessary
• Electric scooter – every kid needs one
• H1 Hummer powered by donuts and leftovers
You can catch a 2 hour special of Coolfuel Roadtrip on The Science Channel premiering on Earth Day, April 22nd, and OLN Canada beginning April 18. In the meantime you can check out the Coolfuel Crew on Network Television - go to www.coolfuelroadtrip.com for local network listings and for more information on the show.