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Canada: Motive Industries reveals hemp electric car plan Danny Bradbury in Vancouver BusinessGreen.com Tuesday 21 Sep 2010 Canadian company Motive Industries last week unveiled the specifications for a new electric car made from a bio-fibre-based composite that looks set to become known as one of the world's first hemp electric cars. The Calgary-based firm revealed more details of its proposed Kestrel vehicle at the EV 2010 conference and trade show, organised by Electric Mobility Canada in conjunction with Pike Research. The company said the compact four-passenger, three-door car will have a top speed of 135km/h (83mph) and a range of 160km (100 miles) on a full charge. It will weigh 850kg and will house a 16kw/h lithium-ion battery. Motive Industries, which also released images of the vehicle at the show, says that it will be manufacturing the unit entirely in Canada using a consortium of partners under the group name Project Eve. Initial partners operating together under the Project Eve banner include two other Calgary-based firms: energy distribution firm ENMAX and Revolute Technologies. Toronto Electric, which is providing the electrical expertise for the vehicle, also joins Toronto-based software developer NMA in the group. Other firms taking part in the consortium include Markham, Ontario-based connectivity and controller firm arcx, Vaughan-based battery management firm Vecture, electric vehicle manufacturer Westward Industries of St Francois Xavier and TM4 Electrodynamic Systems, a subsidiary of Hydro-Quebec that makes vehicle electronics. British Columbia-based Delta-Q and lithium recycling firm Toxco will provide battery-charging systems for the Kestrel. The manufacturing techniques used will enable the companies to commercially release the car using far smaller production runs than traditionally found in the auto manufacturing sector, Motive said. Hemp-based cars are not new. Henry Ford built one in 1941 and in 2008 Lotus unveiled the Eco Elise, a hemp-based version of its sport model with solar panels in the roof. One reason that car manufacturers like bio-fibre composites for cars is that they are light and can be engineered to return to their original shape after traumatic compression. Hemp is also a high-yield crop and, while it famously comes from cannabis plants, is not harvested from the marijuana-producing variety. According to Motive's plans, the Kestrel will be certified for sale in Canada in late 2012. http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2270107/motive-takes-wraps-hemp-car
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