Prince Charles' Aston Martin Hybrid Runs On Wine

The Chevy Volt, a new kind of hybrid announced by General Motors, was recently called "the Barack Obama of automobiles." Prince Charles is hoping he can do the same thing with his revamped Aston Martin. The prince, long environmentally conscious, has turned his cherished sports car into a hybrid that runs on wine:

In his latest effort to help the environment, the prince has converted his 38-year-old Aston Martin to run on fuel made from surplus English wine.

The move, part of a drive to reduce his carbon footprint, emerged in an annual review of the Prince's activities. It shows he has already hit his target of cutting carbon emissions by 12.5 per cent by 2012, in line with the Government's Kyoto target.

Aides said this was partly due to the pattern of Royal trips set by the Foreign Office. He has now doubled the target to a 25 per cent fall in emissions by 2018.

Converting the Aston Martin played a small but symbolic role. The Prince's chief aide Sir Michael Peat said: 'Charles only travelled two or three hundred miles a year in the Aston but he wanted it to be environmentally friendly. It just happened that our bioethanol supplier makes the fuel from surplus English wine.'

Comments

[KPinSEA]

So, reducing his carbon footprint by 12.5% takes it down to the same level as .... 4,000 peasants? 5,000?

Now when he can get his jet to run on leftover baked beans from those greasy English Breakfasts, he'll be onto something!

[scouserinlondon]

Please think this through, The consequences for anyone living near Heathrow would be numbing.
A baked beans fuelled jet engined Blowback?The " vapour trail" would make everybody within sniffing distance pass out.
Mmmm note to self......­search loft for World War Two gasmask.

[N567]

That could start a world-wide plague of foul odors. Consider Air India flights powered by curry, Uzbekistan Airways powered by kumis and Bush's Air Force One powered by Texas chilli etc.. It just boggles the mind.

[scouserinlondon]

Your 4000 peasants ......... and I'll up you 6000 serfs.

[noozone]

Have you ever had English wine? It should ALL be surplus.

[VolvoBirkenstock]

Neo is in the parking lot pouring a box of crYstal into her gas tank as we speak.

[jukesgrrl]

LOL!

[anastasiabeaverhousen]

Hell, I can be modified to run on wine, as well......­........vo­dka works better but wine is fine.

[scouserinlondon]

Once, after too much Scotch, I was "modified"

[MrTender]

If only he woudl drop the pomp and get with the times..... and start calling himself "Chuck"

When the Queen passes.... I would have great pleasure in calling him.... KING CHUCK

[Teckwreck]

I don't think this would work under the circumstances. He might then be confused with "two buck chuck" which has powerd many vintage vehicles along the path to nowhere.

I applaud him for giving a damn and for the gift of whimsy which in America is a lost art.

[lisakaz2]

I think it's cool that he converted an old car. He didn't need something special to show he's environmentally conscious.

[realitycheck7]

most British wine is probably not fit to be used for anything BUT fuel, anyway

[metropixie]

The Brits make wine??? I guess, in that case Prince Charles could be called an envinoment­alist...

[scouserinlondon]

Mead is the thing.Try it......bl­ow your head off.

[jood42]

Truth is stranger than farce.

[davesideas]

at the UK equivalent of US $12.00/gal­lon, wines cheaper...

[alguien]

kinda gives a new twist on "2 buck chuck."

[avicenna]

They must have pretty lax drinking and driving laws there...

[scouserinlondon]

No.Our laws are draconian.­We cannot legally drink until we are eighteen, even though we have 24 hour drinking ..........­and we are not allowed to drive faster than 70 MPH .It is Hell.

[KillTheMessenger]

Oh brother, what's next? Cars that run on surplus beer? How about AB brands?

Can we talk about some real solutions here or do we have to investigate every non-starter there is like the latest Paparazzi pictures of Paris?

[Anastasia]

It's a start.

Turning undrinkable wine into fuel is great idea. It's largely symbolic but it sends a message that if we're committed to living green, we can do it. By reducing his carbon footprint in any way that he can, Charles is calling attention to the issue of climate change and setting a good example for others. We may not be able to convert our cars to run on wine, but there may be other small things we can do.

It's even possible that wine will be part of the mix, if not the answer, to weaning ourselves off of gasoline.

[KillTheMessenger]

How much energy from fossil fuels was needed to separate the alcohol from the water? How much energy went into cultivating the grapes? Would it not have been much better not to produce the wine in the first place?

Just a few questions that come to mind.

[kallopolis]

At least English wine is good for something.

[dgscol]

What else would the little cauliflower eared boy do, but use whine.

[scouserinlondon]

Maybe he should ask Bush for some advice. Bush....oi­l expert.