WTIC1080

Local News

Junk Food-Powered Car Sets New Record

Share this
View Comments
Stock Image of Diet Coke (Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

Stock Image of Diet Coke (Photo Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images)

BUCKFIELD, Maine (AP) – The Maine guys known for creating colorful geysers from Diet Coke and Mentos candies say they’ve set a distance record for a vehicle with soda-and-candy-powered propulsion.

Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz created a single-seat rocket car powered by 54 bottles of Coke Zero and 324 Mentos. They say the Mark II traveled 239 feet, improving upon last year’s 220 feet with only half the fuel. They posted video of a 209-foot attempt online.

Voltz said Thursday they incorporated a simple piston-and-cylinder mechanism to get the vehicle moving. He says it’s powerful enough that people shouldn’t try the experiment at home.

The Buckfield-based entertainers shot to fame five years ago when they wore lab coats and goggles during their online videos demonstrating elaborate geysers set to music.

(© Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Share this
View Comments
  • jacques poutine

    so this car has almost no fuel efficiency and runs off fuel more expensive then gasoline. and takes 54 bottles and 100 mentos to go less then 300 feet? I know coke zero is garbage but it must have better uses then this.

  • jacques poutine

    300 mentos not 100 sorry

  • http://ingunowners.com/forums/break_room/183339-junk_food_powered_car.html#post2407511 Junk food powered car – INGunOwners

    [...] [...]

  • my$.02

    If you use the other kind of Coke, you won’t need any Mentos!

  • Search Injun

    She don’t lie, she don’t lie, she don’t lie…

    [With apologies to Clapton]

  • danw

    Quite right sir except for the undeniable fact that coke zero is the best pop in this universe.

  • Mike Oxlong

    You forgot to mention the numerous other heinous crimes committed by the Thug-in-Chief. Recently, he decided he had the right to assassinate a U.S. citizen without a trial. All Nixon ever did was keep a puppy named Checkers…

  • stang289

    love it so true

  • vaporonice66

    Calling us racists only shows how ignorant you are

  • Joe

    Beats the Chevy Volt

  • Joe Schmoe

    While I agree that this story has nothing to do with Obama, your playing of the race card is just as stupid. Is that all you’ve got in defense of your bumbling socialist hero in the White House?

    Oh oh. I said WHITE house. I guess that makes me a racist, ey?

  • Joe Schmoe

    LOL!!!!

  • jryd

    mentolydra!

  • http://malcolmpollack.com/2011/12/10/the-road-to-energy-independence/ The Road To Energy Independence – waka waka waka

    [...] is really serious about “investing” in “innovation” they should have a look here. Posted by Malcolm on at 5:25 pm, filed under Technology. RSS feed for this post. Trackbacks are [...]

  • Halen Allison

    Isn’t it neat how we’ve turned a fun little project into political ranting and raving about Obama’s jobs program? The individuals who did this are, as the article states, entertainers.

  • Gibbs Bentley

    Meanwhile back at Reality Ranch … 4 or more illegal wars rage on, the dollar is about to vanish as the world reserve currency, the real unemployment rate is over 22%, the price of goods is skyrocketing, the value of homes is dropping and as the 3rd year of the depression carries on … CBS gives us Junk Food-Powered Cars.

    http://911essentials.com

  • Spanky

    Maybe the researchers contribute to Obama’s reelection campaign, so they’ll get plenty of money to develop a product.

  • Spanky

    Dems can’t run on their record or policies. All they have left is name-calling.

  • LT

    Give me a break! His being African/American has NOTHING to do with the above comments. The POTUS is killing the country. Period. I SO wanted Herman Cain to get the GOP nomination so these race card playing jokers would blow a fuse trying to come up with another defense tactic.

  • jacques poutine

    I’m type 1 diabetic and beg to differ. the only drinkable diet pop is diet Dr. Pepper

  • dave 2009

    Isn’t it neat how we’ve turned a fun little project ..

    Think again there mr. anthropologist. This country is promising more misery if we continue heading down the path we are on. People are loosing their jobs and everything they have worked for and saved.

    It’s hard not to find ways to vent frustration when your leaders are selling you out and laughing all the way to the bank and golf course.

  • dave 2009

    All they have left is name-calling.

    Actually all they have left is their ability to steal the election.

  • lectron777

    After watching pop made on you tube I wouldn’t want to drink it – it’s got to be everything but good for you.

  • jakartaman

    Why is it always a screaming liberal kook that feels the need to capitalize?
    I think it has to do with their known inferiority complex – which by the way is correctly earned!

  • Halen Allison

    I’m not sure what anthropology has to do with this. Vent away; write a blog. The connection between this article and the direction our country is heading is nonexistent.

  • http://www.davidmcelroy.org/?p=8193 NEWS LINKS: Congressional bill would ban newspaper endorsements « David McElroy

    [...] car” powered by a lot of Coke Zero and Mentos. Take a gander here. The attempt apparently sets a new record of some sort. [...]

  • Dave Johanssen

    Lighten up Gibbs. Most of us are doing fine, go back to OWS loser.

  • Dave Johanssen

    Oh, BTW, ranting lunatic, none of the wars are illegal, the dollar is nowhere near vanishing as the world reserve currency, the price of good is going up but NOT skyrocketing, the value of homes has stabilized and we ARE NOT in a depression. So, you’re basically 1 for 5. Way to go genius.

  • Rick

    Chevy Volt LOL
    Mentos and coke are safer and cheaper in the long run!

  • http://kfyo.com/coke-and-mentos-powered-car/ Coke and Mentos Powered Car – News/Talk 790 KFYO

    [...] shoots up in the air. Well, the guys who first tested that have used the same idea to power a car. According to CBS: Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz created a single-seat rocket car powered by 54 bottles of Coke Zero [...]

  • LT

    Anyone doing what he is doing is STILL ruining our country. Period. I don’t care if they are black, red, yellow, or white Anglo-Saxon American…or female, these policies are killing the US. So you see, race or gender has nothing to do with it. Nice try though. Next straw grasping?

  • ConservativeProf

    Don’t give Government Motors any ideas!

  • Lincoln Robertson

    President Clinton, Madeline Albright, Sandy Berger, John Kerry, and Clinton cabinet members and Dem members of congress thought Hussein had WMDs and they threatened military force on Iraq. So, the claim that Bush lied is the biggest lie over Iraq. I dare you to Google “Democrats comments Iraq WMDs”. SO, YOU ARE THE ONE TROLLING HERE!!!

  • Lincoln Robertson

    No no no, YOU are the one who needs to sleep better at night. That’s why you accuse others of racism, so you can feel like you are soooo altruistic. Sorry to use a word you need to look up in the dictionary. You’re going to have to do a little work on your own to understand the whole meaning of the comment.

  • Lincoln Robertson

    my last comment is to the altruistic MikeG.

  • NooYawkah

    Actually, Clapton should apologize to us for that one.

  • MMD

    Spoken like one of those true big-tent, all-inclusive, can’t we all just get along liberals

  • RUFUS LEVIN

    WOULD HAVE BEEN CHEAPER AND MORE POWERFUL TO RUN OF HUMAN METHANE FROM EATING A STALK OF BROCCOLI.

  • RUFUS LEVIN

    SLAVERY WAS A MYTH LIKE THE HOLOCAUST….MADE UP BY AL SHARPTON AND JESSE JACKSON TO BLACKMAIL WHITE FOLKS OUT OF MONEY….SLAVERY NEVER HAPPENED….AFRICA SENT PEOPLE OVERSEAS TO GET RID OF THEIR OVERPOPULATED LAZY PEOPLE RATHER THAN WASTE THE ENERGY MACHETTE WHACKING ON THEM…

  • SerfCityHereWeCome

    Hmmm…approximately 100 dollars worth of Coke and Mentos to travel 239 feet. If only electric “cars” were this efficient.

  • SerfCityHereWeCome

    Hey, hey, HEY! Don’t diss the almighty goobermint-built external-combustion $50K Homer Simpsonmobile!

  • PUDDYFUDGE

    Isn’t their 15 minutes up yet? I’m just sayin…

  • moondogg

    Wasn’t that a J.J. Cale song? I thoughtClapton did a cover of it.

  • Rick

    Homer wouldn’t drive a volt dude… where is your respect? ;)

  • LT

    I’m going to assume you were kidding about that. In case someone else doesn’t get the joke, using very liberal figures of $.20/kwh for electricity (closer to $.15 or less most places) and 300wh/mile (closer to 275 or less), a Volt costs $.06/mile on electricity.

  • http://newsalertusa.com/2011/12/12/12-12-2011/ 12.12.2011 « NewsAlertUSA.com

    [...] CBS: Junk Food Powered Car Sets New Record [...]

  • http://blog.thetravelinsider.info/2011/12/weekly-roundup-friday-16-december-2011.html Weekly Roundup Friday 16 December 2011 » The Travel Insider

    [...] For more details of this surprising new energy source, please click here. [...]

  • Levitra

    Awsome resource! How can I add it to vavorites?

  • http://www.cheeseee.com Freeman Gather

    I have observed that over the course of creating a relationship with real estate owners, you’ll be able to come to understand that, in every real estate deal, a fee is paid. All things considered, FSBO sellers do not “save” the payment. Rather, they struggle to win the commission by means of doing the agent’s job. In accomplishing this, they devote their money along with time to carry out, as best they could, the duties of an representative. Those jobs include revealing the home via marketing, showing the home to all buyers, making a sense of buyer urgency in order to trigger an offer, booking home inspections, handling qualification check ups with the loan provider, supervising fixes, and aiding the closing.

blog comments powered by Disqus
Listen Live!

School Closings

storm center new 2751 School Closings

Radio Rewards

wtic rewards rev Radio Rewards

WTIC Poll

Select a Live Stream

News, Sports and Talk Radio