Cannabis car retired, was “ahead of [its] time”

In Florida, the designer of a hemp-based car once featured on TV show Jay Leno’s Garage has wound down the project, and reported just two cars were produced. 

Renew Sports Car inventor and former Dell designer Bruce Dietzen tells Autoevolution the idea was “about seven years ahead of [its] time,” although the promise of hemp to reduce carbon emissions in the automotive industry remains as strong as ever. 

The car’s body was almost half the weight of a comparable aluminum frame thanks to a hemp fiber composite and bio-epoxies. Just two were built, Dietzen says, adding that his current focus is now on “bringing advanced versions of the hemp fabric to market for EV manufacturers to use to help them lighten their weight and carbon footprint.”