The story about Dave and his truck that runs on wood was distributed by the Associated Press in late June 2009 and was picked up by news outlets all over the world. Below are some examples of how the story was presented. There are too many to list them all!
Conn. man uses old technology to run truck on wood, waste
Associated Press
In Print: Sunday, June 28, 2009
Dave
Nichols in Killingly, Conn., gets behind the wheel of his 1989 Ford
F-150 that he converted to biomass fuel. The technology, called
gasification, has been around since the 1800s.
[Associated Press]
KILLINGLY,
Conn. — From the first time he saw Emmett "Doc" Brown fire up the Mr.
Fusion home energy reactor in the Back to the Future movies, Dave
Nichols has always wanted to make a vehicle run on garbage.
Two
decades after the trilogy, the 42-year-old home builder and auto shop
owner from eastern Connecticut isn't traveling through time in a
DeLorean, yet. But he's modified his 1989 Ford F-150 pickup truck to
run on wood, leaves, cardboard and other "biomass" with a fuel system
that he says expels virtually no pollution.
The technology is
called gasification, and it's been around since the 1800s, when it was
used for street lamps and cooking. It even powered some vehicles during
World War II, but faded away under oil's dominance.
Nichols and
others say reviving gasification, which can also heat and power homes,
has exciting possibilities, from reducing dependence on foreign oil to
cutting pollution.
"It's a simple science from 130 years ago that
can be used today to solve all of our problems … and it runs on
potentially free fuel," Nichols said. "This type of technology has to
be developed, and it has to be developed now."
The new interest
in gasification comes as President Barack Obama presses to double the
nation's use of renewable energy over the next three years, with $15
billion a year to be spent to develop solar power, wind power, advanced
biofuels, fuel-efficient cars and other technologies.
Gasification
works by heating organic materials to high temperatures without flames.
The resulting chemical reactions produce a hydrogen-hydrocarbon gas
mixture in vapor form that is almost as potent as gasoline, Nichols
said.
His pickup appears to run like any other and easily reached
40 mph and above on local roads on a recent day, but it has no gas
tanks. Nichols says he can get it up to more than 80 mph. The only
noticeable difference is a contraption, right behind the cab's rear
window, that takes up some of the back and looks somewhat like a wood
stove.
Nichols says he has driven 10,000 miles without gas,
including a trip about three months ago when he loaded up the back with
about 400 pounds of wood and drove 600 miles across Connecticut, then
to New Hampshire and Boston before returning home. A pound of wood or
other material will fuel his truck for 1 to 2 miles, meaning that the
truck costs about 8 cents a mile to fuel, compared to roughly 19 cents
per mile if it used gasoline at today's prices.
"This is real. This is no game," Nichols said. "The mechanics at the garage thought I was crazy. They're not laughing anymore."
Nichols
said he eventually wants to patent his reactor core, and build a
smaller version of the vehicle fueling system, so it could be more
practical for cars.
"Now if I could get a hold of a DeLorean," Nichols said.
June 28, 2009
Man in US Powers Pickup Without Gas or Pollution
From the first time he saw Emmett “Doc” Brown fire up the Mr. Fusion home energy reactor in the “Back to the Future” movies, Dave Nichols has always wanted to make a vehicle run on garbage.
Two decades after the movies, the 42-year-old home builder and auto shop owner isn’t traveling through time in a DeLorean, yet. But he’s modified his 1989 Ford F-150 pickup truck to run on wood, leaves, cardboard and other “biomass” with a fuel system that he says expels virtually no pollution.
The technology is called gasification, and it’s been around since the 1800s, when it was used for street lamps and cooking. It even powered some vehicles during World War II, but faded away with oil’s dominance.
Nichols and others say reviving gasification, which can also heat and power homes, has exciting possibilities, from reducing dependence on foreign oil to cutting pollution.
“It’s a simple science from 130 years ago that can be used today to solve all of our problems,” Nichols said.
The new interest in gasification comes as US President Barack Obama presses to double the use of renewable energy over the next three years, with $15 billion a year to be spent to develop green technologies like solar power, wind power and advanced biofuels.
Gasification works by heating organic materials to high temperatures without flames. The resulting chemical reactions produce a hydrogen-hydrocarbon gas mixture in vapor form that is almost as potent as gasoline, Nichols said. His pickup truck appears to run like any other and Nichols says he can get it up to 120 kilometers per hour. The only noticeable difference is a contraption that takes up some of the back and looks somewhat like a wood stove.
Nichols says he’s driven the truck 16,000 kilometers without gas, and estimates it costs about 5 cents a kilometer to fuel.
“This is no game,” he said. “The mechanics at the garage thought I was crazy. They’re not laughing anymore.”
Conn. man modifies pickup to run on wood, waste
By DAVE COLLINS Associated Press Writer
Posted: 06/27/2009 07:49:56 AM MDT
Updated: 06/27/2009 12:35:13 PM MDT
In this photo taken Tuesday, June 9, 2009, Dave Nichols gets behind the... ((AP Photo/Bob Child))
KILLINGLY,
Conn.—From the first time he saw Emmett "Doc" Brown fire up the Mr.
Fusion home energy reactor in the "Back to the Future" movies, Dave
Nichols has always wanted to make a vehicle run on garbage....
Dave
Nichols, 42, of Killingly shows Monday how he converted his 1989 Ford
F150 pickup truck to burn wood, leaves and trash for fuel.
By JOHN PENNEY
Norwich Bulletin
Posted Jun 08, 2009 @ 11:51 PM
Killingly, Conn. —
A
Killingly man has spent the last few years resurrecting and modifying a
130-year-old technology that allows him to run a 4,000-pound truck on
wood, leaves and trash.
Five years ago, Dave Nichols, fed up with the rising cost of fuel
and wood waste disposal and concerned with the amount of emissions
produced by traditional gas-powered vehicles, began constructing a
biomass gasification system for his 1989 Ford F150 pickup truck.
“I got the idea after leafing through a couple of old books that
mentioned this type of system being used to power gas lamps in the
1870s,” said Nichols, 42. “Then, except for a brief period during World
War II, the technology disappeared.”
It disappeared, he said, because car and fuel companies concluded
they could not reap substantial profits from vehicles that ran on a
free fuel source.
Soon after, Nichols, a building contractor and garage owner, began
constructing the first of six biomass fuel prototypes. The latest
version ingests organic material, such as wood chunks, shavings and
grass clippings, and converts it into fuel through a chemical reaction.
On Monday, Nichols drove his modified truck up Putnam Pike, the
vehicle smelling faintly like a campfire. Inside the truck bed sits a
short barrel-like structure where “organic debris” is fed.
How it works
The fuel is broken down by an external on-board reactor — smaller
than a typical truck bed toolbox — which heats the material to 2,200
degrees, breaking it into basic elements. The breaking down of wood by
high heat causes multiple chemical reactions that create hydrocarbons.
In addition, small amounts of water are introduced to the process,
creating hydrogen fuel.
The fuel, now a potent mix of hydrocarbons and hydrogen, travels
through a series of filters, condensers and pipes to the engine.
“All that’s left is a small amount of white ash,” said Nichols,
pouring a load of leaves and wood into the hopper. “And I can drive 85
miles per hour, stopping only to pick up more wood, or other fuel. It’s
free fuel with no fossil-fuel emissions.”
Nichols said he’s applied for grants from both the state and
federal Department of Energy to make the dash controls more
user-friendly and hopes to mass-produce his system once he secures
financing. He said the technology can be applied to any gas-powered
device, from lawn mowers to heavy equipment.
“I laughed at him when he started working on this,” said Jerry
Thayer, owner of Jerry’s Repair shop in Killingly. “But I’m convinced
this works.”
Nichols’ vehicle has also caught the attention of a local
legislator. A representative of U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, D-2nd District,
is scheduled to meet with Nichols this afternoon and take a look at
his creation.
“It sounds like a very interesting product,” said Jenny Contois,
Courtney’s district director. “And we’re sending someone to see what,
if any, funding opportunities are available.”?
Web Coverage
Garbage Truck? Man Powers Pickup With Wood and Waste
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Associated Press
KILLINGLY, Conn. — A Connecticut man has outfitted a
pickup truck to run on wood, leaves and compost and has traveled as far as 600
miles on a truckload of the burnable fuel.
Dave Nichols of Killingly says the idea goes back to when he first saw a
modified car running on garbage in the "Back to the Future" movies
two decades ago. But the gasification process he uses for his 1989 Ford F150 pickup truck relies on
science more than 100 years old.
Nichols and others around the country are experimenting with gasification,
which they say can also heat and power homes and help the U.S. reduce
dependence on foreign oil.
They say it also burns cleaner than oil and gasoline.
Biomass Makes the Wheels Go Round
Posted: July 16, 2009 at 03:36 PM CST
I
have received so many e-mails and calls about Dave Nichols and his
biomass-powered pickup that I had to find out more. So I chatted with
Nichols this week to find out just what he’s up to and why.
Nichols, a contractor and auto shop owner from Killingly, Conn.,
converted his 1989 Ford F-150 to run on biomass, everything from wood,
leaves, grass clippings and cardboard. He did this by using a
technology that’s been around since the 1800s—gasification.
As we all know, Nichols isn’t the only one who’s rediscovered
gasification. There are several projects around the country that are
employing gasification to turn everything from wood to algae into power
and fuel. This project is unique, however, as it is being used to fuel
a vehicle.
The truck, which weighs about 4,000 pounds, has a reactor in the
box that heats the biomass up to about 2,200 degrees, causing multiple
chemical reactions and producing a hydrogen-hydrocarbon gas mixture
with a small amount of water added. The fuel is filtered, condensed and
piped to the engine.
The truck can run for about two miles on a pound of biomass and
there are no harmful emissions. Nichols says there is a white ash-type
substance that’s left behind and he uses that to fertilize his lawn. He
would like to have the substance analyzed at some point.
Nichols removed the gas tank from the vehicle and carries a
three-gallon gas can with him just in case. But, he said he’s never had
to use that gas and he drives the vehicle every day.
Nichols’ biomass powered vehicle has garnered a lot of attention
from the press government agencies and officials and private companies,
everyone wants to know more about it. He told me he had a meeting with
a car maker but wouldn’t say which one it was just in case it didn’t
pan out.
The question is: Are they willing to bet money on it? That’s what
Nichols is interested in at this point. The prototype was built using
junkyard scraps and Nichols would like to make a smaller, lighter
version. Nichols also has plans to develop a stationary unit for home
use. Or the biomass-powered vehicle could be used to power a home as
well, using the leftover heat generated by the gasification system.
Nichols would also like to try burning plastics in his system but he needs to do some emissions testing before that can happen.
“This thing has a dollar savings for people and if the government
really intends to help us and they aren’t tied to oil and energy
companies they will take a closer look at this,” he said. Nichols
believes he will succeed when people realize they can cut their fuel
and energy bills using his technology. “Once people realize it is real
and physically sitting in my driveway and it could be easily sitting in
theirs,” he said. “I don’t intend to let this thing drop.”
I am a little skeptical just because I don’t know when I’d find the
time to scrape up the biomass required to run my vehicle, but if gas
prices when to $6 a gallon, I’d probably find the time.
Running on Garbage One man uses old technology - and trash - to fuel a truck by: Heather Rule
Online Rating: (0/10)
Photo credit: 21st Century Motor Works
If you have a long daily commute, you can easily spend $30 or $40 at the gas pump each week. Imagine being able to forget about this expense entirely — because your car runs on trash.
Dave Nichols’ 1989 Ford F-150 truck does just that. It’s powered by a biomass engine that consumes household and yard waste such as food scraps, paper, cardboard, wood, grass, brush and weeds. The fuel burns efficiently, producing no harmful emissions. Nichols, a former general contractor from Killingly, Conn., developed the prototype engine about three years ago and hopes his work will help lead to widespread use of this alternative fuel both on the road and at home.
A new use for old technology
Nichols has always enjoyed a hobby in engineering. A book about lamp gas from the 1700s sparked his interest in biomass gasification, technology that has been around for centuries but that Nichols says is “vastly overlooked.” It fueled gaslights in the 1800s and was used to power vehicles during the World War II era. Now Nichols and his organization, 21st Century Motor Works, are trying to improve this technology and make it available to the public.
Through research and experimentation, Nichols created his prototype biomass engine after four unsuccessful attempts. The engine converts carbon-base solid materials into gaseous fuel. Nichols’ truck is powered by this fuel rather than relying on its gas engine. The only exhaust it produces is carbon dioxide and water.
“The truck has the same carbon footprint as you or I, just as we exhale,” Nichols says.
Nichols drives the truck every day and has not experienced any problems with it. He can drive all day and generate 10 kilowatts of electricity. The truck can go almost two miles for every pound of debris loaded into the system. The engine will not run on rocks, dirt or broken glass, but it can consume almost any garbage produced in a home.
Nichols says he has taken many biomass skeptics for rides in the prototype truck and by the end of the journey, they want one for themselves.
“When you tell them that the fuel is free, they freak,” he says. “Ninety-five percent of the people that saw it would buy one.”
Other applications
Besides powering vehicles, Nichols says, biomass technology can provide environmentally friendly solutions in the home. With a little modification to the prototype engine, biomass could become a source of heat and electricity.
“We have the ability to heat a home,” Nichols says. “This process is actually vastly, vastly much more energy efficient than actually burning wood.”
Nichols hopes the technology will be used on construction sites as well. As biomass fuel, construction scraps and debris are capable of running full-size excavators and generators, he says.
Spreading the word
Now Nichols is working to publicize this alternative fuel. He wants to educate the government and the public about the potential uses of biomass technology.
His prototype is garnering worldwide attention. Nichols has received inquiries from people in Germany, and his engine was featured in a half-page article in an Indonesian newspaper’s business section. He says he spends six to eight hours a day responding to people who have contacted him.
“Right now we’re just concentrating on all the publicity,” he says. “[The] demand [has been] off the scale; I’m very shocked at that.”
Nichols is showing his prototype truck at any event he can get to, and he has been “blown away by the response.” He says he will probably build an improved version this winter, with the intent to “try to make it a little prettier.” He is looking into stainless steel options and shrinking the engine so it can be installed in vehicles. But since he already has a well-running prototype, the improvements are mostly appearance-related.
“We’ve come across something pretty good here,” Nichols says.
No doubt many of you have read or heard about David Nichol’s woodgas F-150. I came across it during a media hailstorm a few months ago (which has since petered out). But while I was doing research on the One-Gallon Challenge, I saw that David’s truck was going to be participating. I gathered up my camera and notepad and my best friend (who I sort of tricked into coming) and took the drive to Greenfield Mass. last Wednesday night to get a look at this truck, and other fuel-sippers in person.
First, I need to get this off my shoulders. I am not your standard “save the world, lets hold hands, everybody be happy” kind of alt-fuel guy. I tend to fall more in the “I hate spending so much money on fuel when it could better be spent on beer” crowd. I eat meat, and believe bacon should have its own catagory on the food pyramid. At the One-Gallon Challenge, I stuck out like a gangrenous thumb. Not that I have anything against ultra-liberals who wear their hair in ponytails and can’t even remember what a hamburger tastes like. But that ain’t me.
So when I saw a short guy wearing a clean white shirt and blue jeans standing next to a pickup truck I immediately gravitated away from the Prius and microcar crowd.
David shows the crowd his fuel source; beetle-ridden wood cut down by town authorities
David Nichol’s was at all times surrounded by a crowd, many of whom had seen local television or CNN coverage of his wood-powered truck. Using a process called gasification, his 1989 Ford F-150 6-cylinder (the exact same kind of truck my dad bought and used for 15 years as a contractor) was able to go 1-2 miles on a pound of wood waste while producing nearly zero emissions.
I did not really asked David any questions; I didn’t have to. The audience was asking all the right questions, and then listened as David explained some pretty complicated concepts on an understandable level. From what I could gather, his gasification engine heats any bio-mass, including garbage, into a hydrogen fuel. Using his patented process, it becomes a self-sustaining reaction; there is no fire, just vapor, which is cooled and condensed down to air temperature, and then injected into the engine. The 4.9 liter inline-6 engine has not been modified, save that the air filter was removed and a pipe from the gasifier now runs into the intake. There is no chimney, and all that is left from the process is some ash.
There are two drawbacks to this system right now. One is, it takes David a few minutes to get the system going, using a propane torch. This is not a turn-key ready system, but then again, it was made out of a wet-dry vac, garbage cans, and a few junkyard devices.
This is the wood-gas contraption, which vaporizes bio-mass into hydrogen
The other problem is the size of the system and the fuel. As you can see, this system takes up a good two-feet of bed space in this full-size truck. It also sticks over the cab, and replaces the gas tanks (which teld a total of 45 gallons of gas). David also has to drive aorund with 1-3 gallons of gas in his truck at all times due to tax law. As you know, when you put gas in your vehicle you pay tax, which goes towards maintaining the road. Since David’s system uses no gas, he pays no tax. He also doesn’t pay for electricity or heat in his home.
Gasification heats and vaporizes bio-mass at over 2,200 degrees Fahrenhiet. This gives off about 22,000 BTUs of heat, and at idle the engine makes 10 kilowatts of electricity at idle. He says it could save the average homeowner $11,000 a year alone in electricity and heating costs. He calls it a better stimulus plan than Obama’s $787 billion package earlier this year. David is having trouble getting funding because there is no money in that bill for wood gasification of his type. He also claims that Ford was a huge supplier of woodgas engines during and after World War II, when petroleum rationing sent many people looking for alternative fuels to use. That is why he picked this truck to demonstrate his project (that, and it was $50).
Even though woodgas has been around for well over 100 years (David first got the idea to experiment with it whilst reading through on old school lamp gas) the idea still lacks merit among skeptics. But it was good enough for many farmers and mechanics to get them through two World Wars. Nichols even claims that Ford was the largest manufacturer of woodgas stoves, but that many of them were destroyed and the patent number wiped out once oil regained dominence.
But there is also the problem of fuel. We need trees, which provide the best source of power for David’s invention, though just about any biomass will do. He says a cord of wood (128 cubic feet, or a 4'x4'x8' stack of wood) propeled him 5700 miles, and his engine currently has over 10,000 miles.
There are also the powers-that-be, who may not want such a lovely piece of energy independance powering America’s homes. Imagine all your power coming from your food waste instead of the electric company? That might make some very rich people very concerned.
As for the rest of the One-Gallon Challenge, I missed the race itself. I had to work, you know. The other cars, like the Moonbeam, Roopod, and Dirigio are all neat in their own right. But they don’t really solve the problem of fuel, they just shrunk the car. I’m too big of a guy to fit into a tiny vehicle, and besides, what happens in a head-on collision? Nothing pretty, I bet. David told me after the race he planned on handing them back their one gallon of gas.
It was nice seeing an actual working model, though I didn’t get to hear it start. There is a patent pending for the process, and David hopes that his company, 21st Century Motor Works, takes off with wood gas vehicles propelling them to sucess.
Standing by the gasification system on the bed of his modified Ford F150 pickup, Dave Nichols holds roughly 1 pound of biomass (wood) that can power the truck about two miles.
I caught up with Mr. Nichols at Greenfest 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts. He had driven his truck from Greenfield, Massachusetts to Boston in the One Gallon Challenge. Creators of energy efficient cars essayed to drive the 100 mile journey on less than a gallon of gasoline.
Mr. Nichols starts a fire in his system with a blow torch. Once the temperature in the "reactor" reaches 2,200 degrees, the wood no longer burns, but "vaporizes itself." The resulting gaseous fuel cools to 140 degrees in a heat exchanger before flowing into the modified engine.
This biomass gasification process was developed in the 1800s and used during WWII to make up for a lack of petroleum fuel.
The process is carbon neutral, says Mr. Nichols. The only emissions are carbon dioxide, water and a small about of mineral ash. He is a contractor and believes the technology could also be used to fuel construction machines with construction debris.
At the end of the day, Mr. Nichols heats and electrifies his Killingly, Connecticut home with the system on his truck.
You can support his clean fuel efforts by asking Congress to allocate funds for his ongoing research and development.
So, as promised, I went over to Greenfest Boston '09 and took lots of pictures. It was really hot. However, the event seemed quite well attended. There were plenty of exhibitors of various kinds but easily the most knowledgeable and engaging folks were those who had something to do with wheels. Therefore, I am starting with them...
The gentleman proudly displying his webpage for more information was a very helpful purveyor of fine electronic vehicles.
The car he is standing in front of (driven in from Cambridge for the event) can maintain city speeds fairly well but it seems they are unlikely to be of much use in the 'burbs and downright dangerous on the highway! The scooter (above) also has a low maximum speed (around 30 mph) however, as an intermediate vehicle (say, from the house to the T) it sould make sense for some commuters and (as it looks pretty darn cool) it might make sense for fun rides on local roads. The best part? It is really an electric bicycle, so no motorcycle license necessary...
The question of range is just going to be an issue for we citizens of Burbania. Not to worry, however, folks are thinking about that, too. Many of the cars (and individuals) below competed in the "Greenfield to Greenfest" efficiency race right before the event.
This truck was perhaps the most interesting entry (and now that I look, I am unsure whether it was in the race or not). It is powered by "biomass" (among other things wood chips and cotton clothing).
The top picture is (roughly speaking) its "gas tank". Below, you can see that it started its life as a Ford F-150...
The boys (below) are sitting in "Moonbeam". It is an enclosed electric scooter. Very cool and the winner as far as the kids are concerned. There is no air conditioning but there is a radio.
Now, I came to this event as an idiot ready to learn. Many of the "booth people" seemed unable to deaprt from their prepared scripts and some seemed rather put out or downright hostile when engaged in discussion. The folks you see in this post, however, were real troopers and answered all of my questions.
This gentleman (pictured with Moonbeam, his car) was extremely helpful and hit on what I think is one of the greatest challenges we suburbanites have, namely ethical and efficient transportation. We need to drive. We always will. This is true even if someday our public transportation system improves to become a model of breadthe, service and efficiency and even if we get used to smaller yards and smaller, closer living quarters.
Right, cars... These folks are from Turner, Maine, near where I grew up. They have designed a highly efficient diesel truck. They are farmers, actually (Ricker is a famous farm name in the central part of Maine most closely associated with apples). This, too, did well in the Eliot children's "coolness test"
This woman is part of a team from (I hope) MIT who have converted an old Porsche to electric power. No, it isn't a Tesla and there are no Lithium batteries involved. Just LOTS of car batteries. The interior (my interior pictures didn't come out all that well) looks rather like an old Porsche with the sort of power output screen one might expect in a Prius.
Still...it looks cooler than a Prius...
Check out the very warm child next to a good looking car...
The good looker again. Sadly I don't know a lot about this one...
(0/10)
.jpg "biomass1a")
