Body panels made from sugar beets and other biodegradable parts
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-40436446/driving-a-car-made-from-biodegradable-materials
But aren't we recycling a massive percentage of vehicle in the scrapyards already? Other than energy used in production, I don't see much advantage.
Any use of sugar beets OTHER than making sugar is GOOD
Will mice eat my car?
How long before it rots in my driveway?
>How long before it rots in my driveway?
I was thinking that. If the body is design to be biodegradable will it start to decompose after a while? Will getting it wet accelerate the process? Making hard, plastic like material out of bio-products isn't new -- there is a reference to soy been plastic in Its a Wonderful Life. I think it is a cool concept, but it would be nice if they addressed the question on everybody's mind.
Keep in mind, this is not an effort to *sell* a car. This is a research project exploring the limits of what's possible. As the man in the video says, there are lots of ways to create cyclical manufacturing, and biodegradable products would be one idea along with recycling and so forth.
Also keep in mind that biodegradable != compostable. You can create a biodegradable product that only degrades under specific conditions (either long time scales, high temperatures, etc). In fact, biodegradable is a slippery term in general
Good points.