Electric Car Made of Hemp Is Developed by Canadian Collaborative

A group of Canadian companies is developing an electric vehicle made of hemp, a compact car developers say will reach top speeds of 55 miles per hour and will have a range of 25 to 100 miles before requiring a battery re-charge. The Kestrel, being developed by Calgary-based Motive Industries Inc., is one of five electric vehicles planned as part of Project Eve, an auto industry collaboration looking to boost production of electric vehicles and components in Canada, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The body of the vehicle will be made of an impact-resistant composite material derived from mats of hemp, a durable fiber cultivated from the cannabis plant that Motive officials say has twice the strength of other plant fibers and does not require much water or pesticide use. The fact that hemp cannot be grown in the United States because it contains the psychoactive compound tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) — and is sometimes used in the cultivation of drugs like marijuana — will give developers another market advantage, said Nathan Armstrong, president of Motive Industries.