The project was envisioned by Wessex Water, a sewage treatment company in England, and the waste-powered Beetle was built by the Greenfuel Co., which converts gas-powered cars to run on liquified petroleum gas. The methane itself must also be treated through biogas upgrading, a process that separates carbon dioxide molecules. (GENeco, a company owned by Wessex Water, provided the necessary equipment for the process.)

The result is a car that drives like any other. The process of using treated methane gas is not exactly new, though the technology has reached a point at which the vehicle's performance is not affected by the alternative fuel, which had been a problem in the past. (The Bio-Bug is started using gasoline, but switches to methane once the engine has reached the right temperature.)

Wessex Water has been using the treated methane gas both to generate electricity for the plant site and for export to England's national grid. The Bio-Bug project was developed to take care of the excess fuel -- and its green credential don't stop there. According to the London Telegraph, excrement flushed from just 70 homes is enough to power the car for 10,000 miles -- or the equivalent of "one average motoring year."