Not sure if you’re up-to-date on your Four Loko news (what, you don’t have it on your RSS reader), but truckloads of the nasty-tasting drink are being sent to a Virginia facility to be turned into auto-fuel, more specifically ethanol.

MXI Environmental Services will be buying the backlog of the undrinkable liquid from wholesalers from Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and other East Coast states.

The facility is expecting a couple of hundred truckloads of the high-alcohol, caffeinated malt beverage, which was banned by the FDA in November for being unsafe (and as a way to keep stupid college kids from, well, being stupid).

Apparently, the FDA didn’t think it was safe for you to drink and drive, but your car — sure.

Four Loko tastes like fuel to begin with, so the move isn’t particularly shocking. Especially since unsold beer, wine and liquor have been turned into fuel-grade ethanol at MXI alone since 2002.

The manufacturers should be a little pleased. At least, the drink is still providing someone (thing) energy. And hey, maybe this can be our new “method” of weaning ourselves off our oil dependence.

As far as college students go, they’ll just have to fend for themselves and go back to mixing their own coffee and booze.

Via AP