Noah recyclable electric carStudents at Eindhoven University of Technology have developed the Noah concept car. The electrically powered Noah consists largely of recyclable, bio-based raw materials.
Students at Eindhoven University of Technology have developed a recyclable vehicle prototype based on flax fibres and sugar. According to the student team, this two-seater electric compact car can travel 240 kilometres on the energy stored in its 60-kilogramme lightweight battery. The Noah’s low total weight of only 420 kilogrammes contributes to achieving this range. The student team claims a top speed of 110 km/h for the compact city car. Thanks to near-field communication (NFC) technology and on-board Wi-Fi, the Noah is prepared for car sharing as well.
The Noah’s chassis, body parts and interior are manufactured from a bio-composite consisting chiefly of flax. Sugarcane-based polyactide (PLA) forms the matrix in the composite. The team produces the chassis from a sandwich panel combining the bio-composite with a honeycomb core made from sugarcane. The overall panel consists of only two materials (PLA and flax), rendering it fully recyclable.
No market launch planned
The lightweight yet strong natural materials consume as little as one-sixth the energy required by conventional lightweight materials such as aluminium and carbon fibre. At the end of its service life, the bio-composite can be ground up and used as a raw material for other products such as building blocks. The inorganic parts of the car can be included in the existing recycling chain.
The prototype will be homologated for road use soon. Although there are no plans to manufacture the car, the students would like to take it on a tour through Europe to promote their idea that even complex products can be manufactured in line with a recycling economy.