Cars filled with number twos are putting the world on the fast track to a sustainable future.
New Hybrid cars made by Spanish startup, Prila, run on clean electricity – but also on the strength of their passengers’ faeces.
“It has to finally drop that the world needs to act now to save the planet,” said Syktin Loof, former farmer turned pioneer, who now leads Prila. “Which means we all must push harder now if we want a better future.
By converting the car seats inside the Prila ‘JAWBEE’ model into defacto toilet seats, passengers will be encouraged to shit-on-the-move, through hermetically sealed comfort holes weaved into the fabric of the seats. They will also be urged to BYOP – Bring Your Own Poop, to fill the engine ahead of departure, as this will give the cars extra range.
Sweet smell of success
Syktin’s Eureka moment came after his eldest son, meysll, filled one of their tractors with his own shit as part of a dare.
“This tractor was on its last legs,” Syktin explains. “So it really was quite the shock when – not only did it work, it ran for six months without any need of a refill.”
What Syktin discovered was that shit is more powerful than just about anything.
“It took me a while to accept this,” Syktin went on. “But I tried it on all my other tractors, and it was the same every time. It was like brown gold.
“It didn’t really work on my Lada, though, so I decided to develop an engine that would easily fit inside a car and the results were amazing.”
Syktin continued to fine tune the engine and design, finally arriving at the JAWBEE, a vehicle with space for 10, in the summer of 2020.
“The hope is that this will inspire an era of shared driving,” Syktin said.
What about the odour?
Syktin admits investors were initially put off by the ‘shit thing’ idea fearing it would never fly with the public.
“The hermetic seal means there is no smell and every plop will release a spray, which will initially come in lemon and orange scents, that is 100% natural.”
Syktin also stressed that the bags used to transport human shit from the home to the JAWBEE will be made using circular processes.
“The bags will be eco-friendly,” he said. “And as flushing is gradually reduced there will also be huge water savings.”
Don’t look up
There is also a proof-of-concept vehicle in the pipeline at Prila that would allow these cars to capture valuable bird shit through a small funnel in the roof.
“We want to make these cars as shit as possible,” Syktin joked. “No, in all seriousness, there is so much shit everywhere in the world it is time we converted it into something worthwhile.”
It is expected that the first JAWBEE models will go on sale this September.
“We plan to launch the car this September during our inaugural Shitfest, when we will encourage everyone to take a shit for the planet.”
Syktin added: “This is a milestone moment for shit – there is no telling where it might end.”
Prila is one of our impact innovators to watch.
