The Edible Eco One
By Davis Tallhone (guest contributor)

The World's First Edible Car

The world's first and only edible automobile.

If there is one topic I try to steer clear from at parties, it’s environmentalism. Don’t get me wrong; I realize that mountain bikers have it pretty easy in terms of getting off the hook when the issue of environmentally friendly transportation is concerned. Lately in the car biz, all R&D is focused pretty heavily on creating engines that leave less of a carbon footprint on the planet than their internal combustion counterparts have in the past through either rechargeable battery packs, gas/electric hybrids, or fuel cells.

However, I recently stumbled upon a car design that puts even these efforts to shame. The car is appropriately called the Eco One and was designed at the British institute of higher learning called Warwick University. The Eco One proudly boasts the claim that it is the world’s greenest car! Side note: It isn’t literally green.

Conventional materials are only used in the steering wheel, seat, and electrical gizmos (after all, a grounded out wire or short circuit could end one’s day real quick). Other than that everything, and I mean everything is either biodegradable or recyclable. The vehicle’s entire body is constructed of hemp fiber and rapeseed oil (and you thought carbon fiber was trick). Tires are derived from potato starch and the brake pads from processed cashew shells. Even the brake fluid comes from fermented plant matter. Fueling the engine is a mixture of propellant that comes from fermenting sugar beets.

I know what you’re thinking; this car sounds nearly good enough to eat! The funny thing is upon hearing about this automobile prototype I suddenly felt like commuting on my bike may not be doing enough!