Warwick University’s Eco One

The WMG students at Warwick University have designed and built one of the greenest cars on earth, the Eco One - and it’s made from potatoes and cashew nuts, amongst other exotic materials. Amazingly, it’s a racing car capable of 150 mph and runs on bio-fuels.

The ultimate aim of the students’ project is to build a car that is ninety-five percent bio-degradable or recyclable. The Eco One is just the beginning, it seems. But it does show what is already possible in this field of research and points the way for manufacturers of green cars in the future.

The Eco One will debut at the Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project between March 30 and April 15, where it will stand alongside the offerings of some of the largest car manufacturers in the world. To learn more, visit the Warwick University site or read PitPass’ article giving the racing view of the project.

We have all heard the folk tales of what happens when a car is struck by lightning. I can remember a fad for trailing a strap from the rear of the car to the ground and being told that this was to “earth any lightning strikes”. It is very doubtful that lightning would bother to notice such a detail but most folklore is agreed that you are perfectly protected from lightning inside a car anyway. “It’s the tires,” we cry, you’re insulated.

But would you trust the theories enough to volunteer to be the guinea pig in a targeted lightning strike? One of the presenters of Top Gear, Richard Hammond, did just that and you can see the result by clicking on this link.

It is quite a tense experience even for the viewer, with thoughts of what would happen if something went wrong. The presenter seems quite cool, however, until after the experiment - he then starts to chatter away merrily, completely unaware of how the tension has been so visibly drained from him.

But it’s not that I blame him. I still wouldn’t volunteer for a similar test.