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✍️ By: Team BC1.NL
Car made from flax and sugar beets
Students at Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands have developed the world’s first truly sustainable car. Instead of using steel for the body, they built it using flax and sugar beets. With this car, they aim to raise awareness about the environmental impact of car production. A truly sustainable car should not only be eco-friendly during its use but also throughout its entire production process.
What is the car made of?
The entire chassis and body are made from the flax plant. The chassis consists of sandwich panels: a core material with a different material on either side. The outside is a biocomposite of flax fibres bonded together with polypropylene, co-developed by the team itself. Between the two plates sits a core of biodegradable PLA, made entirely from sugar beet. The distance between the panels is what gives the car much of its stiffness.
Why flax instead of steel or carbon fibre?
Because flax can replace the heavy steel that is widely used today, and also lighter materials such as aluminium and carbon fibre. Those lighter materials allow more efficient driving, but they cost five to six times more energy to produce than steel.
How is the car put together?
The whole car is made of these large, flat panels. They were cut into specific shapes so they can be assembled like a puzzle.
Take only the batteries you need, and ready for car sharing
When designing the car, several new developments were taken into account. For instance, the driver can calculate how much battery capacity is needed for each trip and decide whether to bring more or fewer batteries. Additionally, the car is equipped with NFC readers in the doors, allowing it to integrate with modern car-sharing programs. This enables specific users to access the vehicle, and the navigation system automatically knows the user’s home base, workplace, and even has the favorite music playlist ready to play.
TU/ecomotive built the Isa and the Nova before this
Every year, new students at the Technical University of Eindhoven work on the Ecomotive project. In previous years, they developed the Isa and Nova, and last year, the Lina. Anyone who wants to see the car in person can keep an eye on the students’ website, where they will announce the events where they’ll showcase their concept car to a larger audience. Next year, a new group of students will take on the challenge of developing a successor to the Lina.
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