Members of Eindhoven University of Technology's TU/ecomotive student team have unveiled Luca - an electric car made almost entirely out of recycled waste, a significant amount of which was fished out of our oceans. 

Luca the “waste car”

As a planet, we produce around 2,1 billion tonnes of waste per year, and members of the TU/ecomotive team wanted to demonstrate a way that this waste could be reused in a new and useful manner, and prove that, in project manager Lisa van Etten’s own words, sustainable technology can be sexy. 

The team started working on Luca in February 2019, presenting the designs and plans they had for the car in December. Now, less than a year later, the team has built a revolutionary car. The exterior is made from a combination of flax fibres and recycled plastic - mostly PET bottles fished from the ocean.

In addition to this, the body of the car is made from recycled ABS, a hard plastic used in many consumer products, including toys and televisions. The windows are also made from recycled materials. This sustainability extends to the materials used for the interior of the car, and the seat coverings and centre console are also made from recycled plastic.

TU/ecomotive proudly presents Luca

Luca can reach a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour, and is exceedingly lightweight - only 360 kilograms without its batteries, less than half the weight of other similar cars. It is powered by two electric motors, placed in the vehicle’s rear wheels, and when fully charged can travel 220 kilometres. 

This is not the first car that the Eindhoven TU/ecomotive team have developed. Before Luca, there was Isa, Nova, Lina, and Noah - an electric car with a body and chassis made entirely from plants! The cars are also equipped with the latest technology, ensuring not only sustainability, but also efficiency and safety.

Thumb: Bart van Overbeeke via tue.nl