Japan just unveiled its vision for the car of the future — and it’s made from wood.
The entire car is composed of nano cellulose fibers, or plant-derived material (including agricultural waste) that’s one-fifth of the weight of—and five times as strong as—steel.
By using those fibers to compose most of the bodywork and part of the tub, the result is a car about half as light as your traditional one, with a ten percent overall reduction in mass.
That alone is a pretty awesome feat, but the production process also drastically reduces carbon emissions associated with automotive manufacturing. It’s basically just recycling on a massive scale.
The Nano Cellulose Vehicle (NCV) looks awesome. The sharp-cut angles of the bodywork and the butterfly doors immediately bring to mind Lamborghini, or the Acura NSX.
The interior features kimono-wrapped seats and a gorgeous wooden dashboard (not just that fake wood look you get in most cars).
However as per information available all of the research and design has gone into the bodywork, not the stuff that makes the car run.
There isn’t really any information at all out there about what kind of power source will be implemented, but the rumor is that it’ll be equipped with a hydrogen fuel cell and have a top speed of… 12 mph.
Twenty-two groups contributed to creating the vehicle — but based on what we know so far, the wooden car is far from road ready.
Reference- Jalopnik, Carscoops website, Futurism