These days there are so many alternative fuel sources — hydrogen, natural gas, and propane; alcohols such as ethanol, methanol, and butanol; vegetable and waste-derived oils; electricity; the list could go on.

Bacon as a fuel source.

One fuel alternative we’re probably not likely to have come across is bacon grease. Yes, bacon grease.

Pierson on the bacon-fueled bike.

Actor Eric Pierson just drove his motorcycle from his home in Minnesota to San Diego for the Bacon Fest and Film Festival over Labor Day weekend. Doesn’t sound too special? Well, his motorcycle was powered by the bacon grease.

In order to get the bike up and running, bacon company and Bacon Fest sponsor Hormel Foods teamed up with a biodiesel company to refine the grease into this carbon-neutral automotive fuel. 

The process is similar to converting cars to run on grease from fast food chains. Then they converted a diesel motorcycle, the 2011 Track T-800 CDI, to be more compatible with the bacon fuel.
 
How they made the fuel

First they had to make a lot of bacon. Then they took the leftover grease and worked with Bio-Blend Fuels in Wisconsin to refine the bacon into 100% biodiesel.

 
According to the Driven by Bacon website, “The fuel is an environmentally safe alternative to conventional diesel fuel. We turned about 275 gallons of bacon grease into 250 gallons of engine-pumping b100 bacon biodiesel.”

Not only was the fuel eco-friendly, but it also smelled like bacon while driving.

Although mostly conducted as a publicity stunt, the drive did draw attention to alternative fuel sources.

Pierson took a camera crew with him on the road to Bacon Fest and the entire trip was documented on his Tumblr account.

The crew made it to the Annual International Bacon Film Festival which was held on the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Midway. Check Facebook for updates on when the Driven by Bacon film will be released.