Kiwi link for vege based racing car
20 May, 2009
Source: Fairfax
A Formula 3 racing car built using vegetables and powered by a chocolate by-product features potato-based components provided by New Zealand scientists.
The UK built car has a steering wheel made from carrots, a flax body and seats made from soya beans.
New Zealand scientists helped by refining the potato-based wing mirrors, made out of potato starch by Potatopak in Blenheim.
“This material is practical and it can take hard knocks,” Nick Tucker from Plant & Food Research says.
The Formula 3 car is run on waste from the chocolate-making process, which is converted to bioethanol and mixed with vegetable oil to create biodiesel.
It has a top speed of 233kmph and may be shipped to New Zealand for a demonstration.
“We’d love to get it over here and are in negotiations over that,” Dr Tucker adds.
Formula 3 car in action
Check out short video clips of the car on the University of Warwick’s website.
www2.warwick.ac.uk/newsandevents/pressreleases/racing_car/
Metadata
- Published:
- 20 May 2009
