FANCY a spin in a car made from weeds? Lotus, the British sports-car company, has put a new twist on green motoring with a two seater made from eco-friendly materials.

The Eco Elise features an interior made from wool, instead of more traditional materials such as alcantara or leather, while some of the exterior body panels are made from hemp.

On the roof there are solar panels that provide the electricity to run the stereo and air conditioning, and the rest of the body is coated in a new water-based paint developed with DuPont that is not only more environment friendly, but also cheaper to produce.

As important, says Lotus, is that many of the materials have been sourced locally. The Norfolk-based firm claims this means it has been able to cut the amount of CO2 produced in the transport process: rather than shipping the materials in from abroad, it has used suppliers just down the road.

Lotus aims to become Britain’s greenest car manufacturer. The company already builds the Tesla Roadster, the all-electric sports car that has proved a hit in America where it is driven by Hollywood stars such as George Clooney and Matt Damon. Although the chassis and body is made in Norfolk, the electric motor that gives the car a top speed of 125mph is fitted in North America. A European version of the zero-emissions car went on sale last summer for £78,000.

The Eco Elise, which is based on the standard Elise sports car costing £24,000, is part of a company-wide drive by Lotus to green up its image: “It came from a staff initiative to improve our environmental credentials,” said Alastair Florance at Lotus.

“There are so many ways businesses can improve their emissions levels and this car shows what can be done relatively easily, although obviously there needs to be more research into how well the materials perform over time.”

Lotus has also implemented a scheme to reduce its energy consumption on site by cutting the amount of electricity it uses and by researching the potential of methanol as an alternative fuel for its cars.

The company recently won planning permission to build three wind turbines on its site at an old airfield.

The 80-metre-tall turbines are scheduled to be built next year and will provide enough energy to power the whole company. Excess electricity will be transferred to the national grid.

Don’t expect to see the Eco Elise on your garage forecourt any time soon, however: there are no plans to mass-produce it at the moment.

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