Its name is Luca: Eindhoven students make an electric car entirely out of waste. Luca is a lightweight two-seater with two electric motors. Together they deliver a power of 20 hp (15 kW). It is supplied with modular batteries.
Electric Car From Waste. Plastic From The Ocean
BusinessSocietyTech & Bart van Overbeeke Students at the Eindhoven University of Technology have produced a car made entirely out of waste products, including plastic recovered from the ocean. Other waste materials include horsehair, coconut fibers, and flax. As the car has been dubbed, the Luca has two electric motors, a range of 220 kilometers and a top speed of 90 kph. It took 22 students 18 months to build the car, which, they said, is a demonstration to the car industry of how to use waste as a resource.
Photo by Bart van Overbeeke. Luca is a lightweight two-seater with two electric motors made from waste.
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The students were surprised some of the plastic which had been in the ocean for years, could still be used. ‘That was a real kick,’ one of the students told broadcaster Nos. The use of plastic bottles in the chairs is also a way of making the recycled material last longer, student Sietze Gelderloos said. ‘The plastic of a disposable bottle can be recycled perhaps 10 times. Use it in 10 cars, and it’ll last 100 years.’
Design Presentation Luca: Embrace Waste!
Waste & Recycling
Car recycling organization ARN said the Luca electric car project could be ‘an inspiration for car manufacturers.’ Dozens of different sorts of plastics are used to make new cars in Europe, spokesman Martijn Boelhouwer said, which translates to a million tonnes a year. And while cars are almost completely recycled, not all the material is used to build new cars, he said.
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Electric Car Luca: Testing
The Luca electric car will not be seen on Dutch roads soon, although the students plan to have the electric car tested for road-worthiness. ‘There are several things that will have to be tested, such as fire safety and performance in different weather conditions. But we dare to dream, and that is why we have taken the first step,’ Gelderloos said.
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