Sustainability inspiration

Just last week in Eindhoven, a group of Dutch students managed to build the first electronic vehicle out of waste materials. This includes everything from the interiors, the seat cushions, and the chassis – a feat that has never been accomplished before.  

Over 18 months, they integrated various forms of waste, including household products, plastic from the ocean, and even coconut shells and built the car from scratch. With the support of several companies, they constructed a chassis out of flax fibre combined with ocean plastic, along with a body comprised of recycled ABS (a hard plastic used in household products such as toys and TV). The final product, a car named Luca, is a two-seater capable of running up to 90 km/hour. Also, the six batteries taken from disused cars can run Luca for up to 220 km when fully charged.  

Whilst companies are transitioning towards sustainable materials for their interior parts, these changes feel like nothing compared to the students’ impressive feat of building an entire car purely out of waste. There is still plenty of room for technical improvements to be made. Still, it’s exciting to see that with a shift in perspective, what we perceive as ‘waste’ can turn into valuable materials capable of replacing the harmful ones we use today.