First ever sustainable race car hits the track
October 13, 2009 by Tom GuayPosted in: Latest News & Views, News, recycling
Can it be that a green car built with recycled materials and vegetable matter is faster than steel?
Can you imagine crowds cheering wildly for cars powered by a biofuel based on chocolate chemistry? Will chocolate-scented exhaust fumes go with beer?
We’re about to find out as the first-ever, sustainably built, Formula 3 race car — the ecoF3 — tries to prove its metal in the Formula 3 Championship Oct. 17 in England.
Researchers at the University of Warwick have built a racer that not only hits speeds of 135 miles per hour, but does it based on a body made from woven flax, recycled carbon fibers, recycled resins and carrot pulp (in the steering wheel).
The fuel is green too, made from chocolate and animal fats.
The lubricating oils are made from plants.
Team leader Dr. Kerry Kirwan says the idea is to disprove people’s perception that car racing is wasteful and instead reveal that “being sustainable and green can be incredibly sexy, fun and fast.” The switch to biofuels has been underway for a few years, as detailed on the Gas 2.0 Web site.
You can see a video of the sustainable ecoF3 racer on YouTube.
Tags: biofuels, carbon fiber, ecoF3, recycled resin
GreenandMore.com
Loading ...
