In Hydrogen Cars, Morgan Spurlock Finally Found A Healthy Use For Beef

The documentary filmmaker known for films like "Super Size Me," Morgan Spurlock, was announced dead today at the age of 53, according to Variety. The controversial "Super Size Me" documentary portrayed Spurlock's experiences while he ate nothing but McDonald's for every meal over the course of a month. It was a pop culture hit. Later, in 2015, Spurlock directed a short spot for another controversy-plagued topic: hydrogen powered cars. 

For the launch of the Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell powered car, Toyota launched the "Fueled by Everything" campaign, which showed different ways the automaker was able to harvest hydrogen to power the car. The segment Spurlock directed, appropriately titled "Fueled by Bullsh*t," depicted Toyata's efforts to gather hydrogen from cow manure. 

On directing the short, Spurlock said in a press release: "This project gave us the opportunity to dive into a world that most people don't understand but has the potential to change our world. Witnessing manure, something most of us view as being pretty disposable, being transformed into hydrogen fuel to power a car was pretty remarkable. I think this short film is pretty compelling evidence of what could be possible in the years ahead."

Nine years after Toyota launched the Mirai, hydrogen fuel cell technology is still progressing, with companies like BMW and Honda producing powerplants and cars powered by the compressed gas. Spurlock's collaboration with Toyota, as part of the larger series, showed that automakers need to get creative with fuel sources outside of just gasoline, diesel, or huge batteries. There are other ways to accomplish the task of powering a car, in the case of Spurlock's "Fueled by Bullsh*t" film, it's initially a lot smellier than a trip to the gas station or EV fast charger.

As for the Mirai, it's still a part of Toyota's lineup, and now offers a range of upwards of 402 miles on a tank of hydrogen. Morgan Spurlock might not have found the healthiest use for beef in "Super Size Me," but he certainly found a healthy (for the planet) use for cows with hydrogen-powered cars.