Aston University Plies the Power of Wood

ByMarianne Lavelle
May 19, 2013

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What if you could pack and assemble a car like Ikea furniture? Students at Aston University aimed for lightweight portability and sustainability in the wood car they designed and built for Shell Eco-marathon Europe. Their project manager, Christian Mclening, explains the innovative plywood composite chassis and “flat-pack” design in the video below. In addition to using sustainably sourced wood, the car also is fueled by a hydrogen fuel cell so it has no emissions. The Aston students won the award for Eco-design in the 2012, and have modified the vehicle for this year’s competition, making it larger. But they still were assembling the vehicle on site at the Rotterdam competition, which continues through today.

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