Luca is a small EV made from recycled waste

Luca is a prototype sports small EV made largely from recycled waste. It is the result of work by students from the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands. This project lasted a total of 18 months participated many companies supplying the students with materials needed for its construction.

The exterior of the car is made of flax fibers and recycled plastic, much of which was caught by the ocean. The bodywork, finish, windows and interior are also made of recycled materials such as PET bottles, ABS plastic and household waste. Recycled ABS is a hard plastic used in many consumer products, such as toys, TVs and kitchenware. The car seats are made of coconut bark and horse hair wrapped in recycled PET.

Its yellow color comes not from a classic car paint but from a wrapper that is also made of recycled material and can be removed without leaving any residue. The windows are also made of recycled material which gives them a natural dark hue.

The Luca is equipped with two electric motors mounted on the rear axle. The maximum speed it can develop is 90 km/h, while its autonomy reaches 220 km. The university notes that this yield translates to about 180 km per litre of gasoline. The weight of the car is only 360 kg without the battery which weighs 60 kg.

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“With this car, we want to show that waste is valuable materials, even for complex applications such as the construction of a car. Thus, its lifespan can be greatly extended using it in the car. In the end ten cars have a longer life than 10 plastic bottles,” explains Matthijs van Wijk, a member of the student group.

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