Soybean, hemp, bananas. Cars components are going green with natural materials. It’s not just on the road that cars have a significant environmental impact. Many of the components that make up your pride and joy have been made out of fossil-fuel rich plastics. However, manufacturers are starting to use renewable, natural resources for car parts.
Ford
Ford has announced it will soon use a new kind of biodegradable composite as a replacement for fibreglass. The new material will consist of natural coconut husks set into a resin made from cornstarch. In other developments, some new Fords use soybean foam instead of the petroleum-based variety in their bumper beams, seat padding and interior trims.
Goodyear
The tyre manufacturer’s BioTred tyres use cornstarch as a compound reinforcement instead of silica and carbon. The new tyres reduce resistance and actually stick to the road more in wet weather.
Other organic materials being turned into car parts include banana plants, Indian grass, wood fibre, hemp, olives and flax.
The parts are often cheaper to produce and lighter than those made from synthetic materials. The biggest advantage is, of course, that they are biodegradable. This just needs to be balanced against the need for these parts to last a reasonable time.
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