With the advancement in the field of technology new eco-friendly vehicles, promising high performance and stylish design are popping up. The latest trend is the incorporation of hemp to build a car’s body. Hemp is quite light as compared to metal, so it helps to improve performance and supports greater fuel-efficiency. Apart from being light-weighted, hemp is also a renewable material that absorbs CO2 through photosynthesis. Here are some stunning designs that are made partly from hemp.
The Lotus Eco-Elise:
The Lotus Eco-Elise boasts its eco-credentials with its sporty body panels manufactured entirely from hemp. The eco-friendly concept car by British car-manufacturer Lotus incorporated the use of hemp, as it is very light in weight, which helps in improving vehicle performance and promote greater fuel efficiency. The concept also features an integrated roof-mounted solar panel that can be used to power all the car’s electrical subsystems.
The Eco One:
This one-seater racing car built by experts from Warwick University portrays true green spirit. The body of the high-speed machine is made from hemp and rapeseed oil. The light weighted hemp body facilitates an impressive speed of 150mph. The other green aspects of the car are the tires made of potatoes and the brake pads from ground cashew shells. The fuel that gives power to this little racing vehicle comes from fermented wheat and sugar beet. Powered by the engine from a Triumph Daytona motorcycle, Eco One does 0-62mph in under four seconds. Eco One is 95 percent biodegradable or recyclable; the remaining five percent is due to the conventional materials used for steering wheel, seat and electrics.
The Sunbeam Tiger Concept:
The Sunbeam Tiger Concept is a high-speed electric car that runs the green pavement. Designed as a part of final year project of Coventry University’s design course by Ryan Skelley, the two-seater is powered by a lithium-titanate battery pack. The body panels of this zero-emission concept are made from hemp fiber that is eco-painted. Further, enhancing its eco-friendly capabilities are an interior made from soy foam seats covered with natural bio-fabric. The tires are made up of cornstarch and natural fiber is used for the brake pads. The concept can achieve a 0-60 mph speed in 2.3 seconds and can go up to an electronically limited 160 mph top speed.
The Formula Three vehicle:
This world’s first sustainable racing car is made from sustainable and recycled material that includes hemp, soybean oil, potato starch and recycled bottles. Some of the body parts are made from hemp, which is a lightweight material, hence improving vehicle performance and promote greater fuel-efficiency. The racing car runs on bio-diesel that propels it to a top speed of 130 mph. The car has already appeared at this year’s Goodwood’s Festival of Speed and was driven by A1 Grand Prix champion racing driver Adam Carroll.
Ford’s hemp car:
Back in 1941 Ford constructed a vehicle made from biodegradable cellulose fibers derived from hemp, sisal and wheat straw. Not only did the car incorporate biodegradable material but it was also powered by hemp ethanol.