Jim Mason is very "Berkeley". An eccentric artist/inventor, with a little hippie mixed in. But in his artist's studio near San Francisco, he has invented something truly phenomenal, a car that runs on everyday garbage: doffee grinds, wood chips, or walnut shells - his personal favorite source of fuel.

Jim has converted an '89 Accord to "run on bullshit", as he puts it - with the help of a 60 year old technology called gasification. But the question is: Will his garbage car really work when it counts - in front of rolling cameras? Jim's challenge: Drive all the way to and then over the Golden Gate Bridge. A 15 mile journey via highway and city streets, only on walnut shells. Is his technology really up to the task?

 

Client: Pro7/Galileo     Airdate: 09/21/09    TRT: 08:23 min
Director: Johannes Wiebus
Camera: Peter Krajewski
Editor: Kathleen O'Heron