Recyclable Car Project Receives Government Funding
By admin on Jul 30, 2007 in Recycled Products, Recycling, Environment
It has recently been reported that the Government is providing £500,000 worth of funding for a project which is aiming to develop the world’s first recyclable vehicle. The project is a joint venture between Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs), the car manufacturer Ford, and Hemcore, which is the largest grower and processor of Hemp in the UK.
The fibres from hemp will be blended with polypropylene, creating a material that can be moulded into various different shapes. It is likely that the hemp-based material will first be used to make internal components, with an accelerator, clutch and brake pedal having already been designed. It is hoped that this material could eventually be used to replace body panels and other larger components of the car.
Due to its association with cannabis, the growing of hemp is strictly controlled. However, Hemcore has a licence to grow up to 3000 hectares of industrial hemp. With hemp producing approximately two tonnes of fibre per hectare, this could be enough to manufacture up to 60,000 cars. This is based on the estimate that hemp-based materials could be used to replace 100kg of plastics, metals and other materials within the average car.
The use of hemp as a material is not a new idea. It actually dates back over 10,000 years where it has been found in early human settlements in clothes, shoes and ropes. Hemp was also used extensively by Britain during the second world war during the manufacture of uniforms, canvas and rope.
Overall it is hoped that if successful this project will make car manufacturing more sustainable, as the new materials would be easy to recycle for use in new vehicles. Although this will help to benefit the environment, it can be argued that the main focus should be on reducing the number of cars on the road, not just making them more sustainable.
Vince | Sep 23, 2007 | Reply
Hello.
How can I seek funding to make a hemp car for New Zealand ?
Mariela | Mar 28, 2008 | Reply
You guys are so smart. Who would come up with this?