While millions of men and women rely on coffee to get them through the day, it seems the caffeinated beverage can also help fuel vehicles. On September 14th, a coffee-powered car set a new Guinness speed record “for vehicles that run on gas from organic waste.”

Engineer Martin Bacon and a group of volunteers from Teesdale Conservation in Durham, England created a coffee-powered car that averages 65.5 mph, nearly 18 mph over the previous Guinness World Record of 47.7. CNET reports that the vehicle, a modified Rover SD1, tops out at 77.5 miles per hour. Not bad for a car powered by used coffee grinds.

Wondering how it works? According to CNET, “The setup of the coffee car provides fuel to the V6 engine through an onboard wood gas generator (gasification) system, which in this case burns wood and coffee grounds at a high temperature (more than 1292 F). The result is a synthetic gas, or syngas, made of carbon monoxide, hydrogen, and methane capable of powering an internal combustion engine.”

The team has also broken the world record for the longest distance driven by a coffee-powered car.

Check out the video below to see the coffee-powered car in action or visit the official Coffee Car website.

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