SatMods.com - FTA - FTA Files - FTA Bin - FTA Keys - FTA Forums - Automotive Talk http://www.satmods.com/ en Mon, 06 Sep 2010 02:32:47 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.satmods.com/images/future/misc/rss.jpg SatMods.com - FTA - FTA Files - FTA Bin - FTA Keys - FTA Forums - Automotive Talk http://www.satmods.com/ Cannabis electric car http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24544-cannabis-electric-car.html Wed, 25 Aug 2010 22:50:37 GMT *Cannabis electric car to be made in Canada* An electric car made of hemp is being developed by a group of Canadian companies in...
Cannabis electric car to be made in Canada





An electric car made of hemp is being developed by a group of Canadian companies in collaboration with an Alberta Crown corporation.



The Kestrel will be prototyped and tested later in August by Calgary-based Motive Industries Inc., a vehicle development firm focused on advanced materials and technologies, the company announced.


The compact car, which will hold a driver and up to three passengers, will have a top speed of 90 kilometres per hour and a range of 40 to 160 kilometres before needing to be recharged, depending on the type of battery, the company said in an email to CBC News Monday.

It will be powered by a motor made by Boucherville, Que.-based TM4 Electrodynamic Systems, said Motive Industries president Nathan Armstrong.








The car's body will be made of an impact-resistant composite material produced from mats of hemp, a plant from the cannabis family. The material is being supplied by Alberta Innovates-Technology Futures, a provincial Crown corporation that provides technical services and funding to help commercialize new technologies. The hemp is being grown in Vegreville, Alta.




The Kestrel is one of five electric vehicles being developed by Project Eve, an automotive industry collaboration founded by Motive and Toronto Electric, an Ontario material handling and electric motor company, to boost the production of electric vehicles and electric vehicle components in Canada.



Colleges to help build cars










The Kestrel cars will be built with the help of polytechnic schools in Alberta, Quebec and Toronto, and the first 20 cars are scheduled to be delivered next year to EnMax, a Calgary-based energy distribution, supply and service company that is taking part in Project Eve.







Automotive pioneer Henry Ford first built a car made of hemp fibre and resin more than half a century ago.




"It's not an original idea," Armstrong said, but one that wasn't developed much further as car manufacturers favoured other materials, such as steel, in subsequent decades.


However, fibreglass and carbon fibre-based composites have gained popularity as materials for the body of racecars because they are strong, but light. Such composite materials consist of pieces or fibres of a hard reinforcement material, such as glass or carbon fibre, surrounded and supported by a matrix of a material such as plastic.

Producing composites from glass or carbon fibre requires intense heating in furnaces and multiple chemical processes, Armstrong said, making it very energy intensive,
In contrast, plant-based fibres grow in a field using the energy of the sun.
"As a structural material, hemp is about the best," Armstrong said, as it has about twice the strength of other plant fibres. It doesn't require much water or pesticide use, and grows well in Canada, providing a high yield per hectare.
Market advantage











"Plus, it's illegal to grow it in the U.S., so it actually gives Canada a bit of a market advantage," Armstrong added. The U.S. does allow the import of processed hemp.


ATlF had been working for some time on hemp-based composite materials with the hardness of glass and had been seeking a commercial use.

Motive Industries had joined forces with Toronto Electric, a material-handling and electric motor company, to found Project Eve and decided to give the material a try.
The car will take batteries with a capacity ranging from 4.5 to 17.3 kilowatt hours of energy.
The vehicle's full design will be released after the September EV 2010 VÉ Conference and Trade Show in Vancouver.














Hemp




Hemp is the common name for the cannabis plant, which has fibrous roots, stalks and stems useful for producing a variety of products and seeds that are edible.


The flowers, buds and leaves of some strains are used to produce drugs such as marijuana and hashish because they contain a psychoactive compound called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), but industrial hemp is bred to produce very little THC













'As a structural material, hemp is about the best.'— Nathan Armstrong, Motive Industries Inc





 ]]> Automotive Talk GrnMachine http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24544-cannabis-electric-car.html Covered Cars http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24424-covered-cars.html Sun, 15 Aug 2010 04:52:10 GMT *Car covered with Bottle Caps* Stephanie made her 1993 Honda Accord into an art car – covering it with bottle caps she collected over the... Car covered with Bottle Caps


Stephanie made her 1993 Honda Accord into an art car – covering it with bottle caps she collected over the winter.
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]]> Automotive Talk GrnMachine http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24424-covered-cars.html Chrome Mini Cooper http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24422-chrome-mini-cooper.html Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:17:59 GMT *Chrome Mini Cooper* The most expensive Valentine gift and the flashiest sedan on the road made the wifey very happy, but not for long. It was a... Chrome Mini Cooper


The most expensive Valentine gift and the flashiest sedan on the road made the wifey very happy, but not for long. It was a chrome painted Mini Cooper bought by Ian Grice, a builder from Nottingham for his wife Toni for £38,000($57,250) a price he didn’t mind paying at the time of purchase. But the astounding revelation here is that the flashy paintjob of the car costs more than the list price of a Mini Cooper which is £17,000($25,650) But the same speedster has caused a Midas-Touch kind of situation for the couple as the Insurance companies won’t provide cover for the pricey sedan on the grounds that it’s too fragile and will get scuffed too easily the London MINI dealership has provided temporary cover for the vehicle, so it could be driven home. The Association of British Insurers has suggested that they look for a specialist cover and that they should be ready to pay a ‘considerable amount’.
]]> Automotive Talk GrnMachine http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24422-chrome-mini-cooper.html Bugatti EB 110 ($744,000) http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24419-bugatti-eb-110-744-000-a.html Sat, 14 Aug 2010 21:28:23 GMT A Bugatti owned by F1 legend Schumacher is actually up for grabs through Maranello Motors! In fact what makes it more special is the fact that it is... A Bugatti owned by F1 legend Schumacher is actually up for grabs through Maranello Motors! In fact what makes it more special is the fact that it is the last one to be registered on him personally. The mean looking Bugatti EB 110 was bought by Schumi in 1994 and was used by him for almost ten years. However, its mileage reads only 5000 km. With 611 hp, the EB 110 was the fastest production car in the world of its time, reaching 100 km/h in 3.26 seconds with a top speed of 355 km/h.
The carbon fiber chassis was developed by Aerospatiale France while Michelin constructed the custom made tires. Furthermore, for the diehard f1 fan, the seats can also be equipped with 4-point harness. And as if that’s not enough, this EB 110 SS is the only one with the luxury interior of the GT model.
The car is said to be in excellent condition and has not been used since Schumacher’s ownership. The car has an asking price of €600,000 ($744,000). The car will come accompanied with a miniature version of itself. So if you have always dreamt of sitting in the same seat, behind the same steering wheel as Schumi himself, than this car is definitely a must buy for you.
cp/
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]]> Automotive Talk GrnMachine http://www.satmods.com/automotive-talk/24419-bugatti-eb-110-744-000-a.html