The Marijuana Car, 'The Kestrel' A Hemp Car, By Motive Industries

by NowPublic Staff | August 24, 2010 at 03:46 am

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The Marijuana Car: The Kestrel An Electric Car To Be Built By Motive Industries Will Be Made Of Hemp
The temptation is to have an opening line that is a clever quip about how The Kestrel, a new hemp made marijuana car from Canadian Motive Industries, will take drivers to a new high - but let's refrain from such cheap tricks.
Motive Industries is using Hemp, a remarkably versatile and strong material in its new car being called The Kestrel.

Its The body is built from hemp grown in Vegreville, Alta., outside Edmonton, and processed into an impact-resistant bio-composite material produced by the Alberta Innovates Technology Futures program, the company said.
"We saw a unique opportunity to make significant advancements in the automotive sector and support the Canadian auto sector by providing sustainable products to create new green manufacturing jobs," said Nathan Armstrong, president of Motive.

The Kestrel, an electric car, is not as unique as one would think. Though steel has become the material of choice for cars manufacturers have and continue to use new materials. Carbon fiber for example. Hemp is a plant based fiber which has advantages over other materials.

Introducing 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

The Kestrel will hold up to 4 people including the driver and will reach a top speed of 90 km/hour. Twenty cars are expected to be delivered in 2011 to a Calgary based energy distribution company.