Ford To Create A Car Made From Cannabis!

Sounds like an April fools day joke but it isn’t; a deal struck by UK’s Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), Ford UK and Hemcore, a company that grows cannabis plants, will attempt to develop a recyclable vehicle with materials made from hemp (common name for plants of the genus Cannabis). British Ministers have already agreed to drop more than £500,000 ($1m or €740,000) to support the project.

To get an idea of what we’re talking about, the cannabis fibers will be blended with polypropylene and the resulting mixture will then be molded into body parts. Apart form the fact that hemp-based materials are fully recyclable, they have high strength and stiffness, low raw material and energy costs and probably even more important, they are lighter than other materials. Ballpark figures suggest that cannabis-based materials could replace up to 100kg – 220 lb of other plastics, metals and resins used within the average car
Read Article

johannas - 7/17/2007 10:45:37 AM

+2 Boost

Is there anything cannabis can't do?

SevorbeupstryIsBack - 7/17/2007 12:41:16 PM

+2 Boost

In the Netherlands it's legal.

..

mbz350 - 7/17/2007 12:23:59 PM

+4 Boost

A day late and a dollar short. Hasn't anybody seen Cheech and Chong "Up in Smoke" with the van crafted from Cannabus?!?

M35MT - 7/17/2007 1:54:39 PM

+2 Boost

Thanks to investments in the textiles industry oh so many years ago, hemp is forever doomed in the usa

Designer1 - 7/17/2007 2:52:48 PM

+1 Boost

huh, like Ford has no problems in hand to yet start making more catch on fire cars. So I'm curious what will they name the new ExploDer, sorry meant to say, Explorer?

Any thoughts? maybe MOAB = Mother Of All Bombs.

Will_ - 7/17/2007 4:54:53 PM

+3 Boost

I think "formula1" already has one of these.

EnnNorak - 7/18/2007 11:54:57 AM

+1 Boost

What happens if the seats get infested by bugs because the cushions contain a natural product? Will these seats contain some sort of poision to prevent bug infestations? Does cannabis foam perform better and last longer than traditional seat cushion materials?