In the Netherlands, Eindhoven University of Technology has kicked off a national press tour for LINA, the world’s first biodegradable car.
Unveiled in May, the TU/ecomotive team is currently making final adjustments make the car road-worthy. The changes were mandated by the Netherlands Vehicle Authority, which provided conditional approval for LINA. The prototype does have limited reverse gear capabilities as well as suboptimal steering.
LINA is mostly comprised of composite materials largely made of flax and sugar beet. Flax was chosen because it is easily obtained and its compressed fibers “make for a strong cover and reinforcement for the core materials.” Sugar beets are processed into bioplastic or polylactic acid that is then arranged into honeycomb-like structures and panels.
Aside from being entirely recyclable, these materials also make LINA very lightweight. At just 300 kg, the vehicle is very energy-efficient. LINA has a range of 100 km on a single charge and was designed to be city-friendly.