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THE GREEN, GREEN GRASS OF - A HONDA CIVIC!

HONDA CREATES ‘LORNA’, THE ULTIMATE GREEN CAR

Just days away from the start of London Congestion Charging, Honda underlines its commitment to the environment in the most dramatic way possible by creating a grass Honda Civic. This ultra-low emission car – which makes use of photosynthesis to liberate free oxygen from airborne carbon dioxide and thus negate tailpipe CO2 emissions – follows on from the Honda Dream solar car in the pursuit of a truly ecological solution for road transport.

Or, it could be just a publicity seeking venture to draw attention to Honda’s more worthy environmental initiatives?

Underneath the grass this is no ordinary Civic: it is the latest example of Honda’s 4 door Civic with IMA Inside, a development of the petrol electric system pioneered with the Honda Insight. The system comprises a 1.4 litre petrol engine teamed with a powerful electric motor/generator sandwiched between the engine and gearbox. The main battery is maintenance free and located in the boot behind the rear seat.

The electric motor boosts engine power during acceleration or hill climbing, enabling the car to perform like a bigger engined model. The motor acts as a generator when braking or descending hills – the idea being to store energy released during braking, to be re-used during later acceleration. So instead of energy being lost in the form of heat when the car’s brakes are applied, the energy is stored as electrical energy in the battery.

The self-charging nature of the IMA system means that the car never has to be "plugged in" to an electric supply, furthermore the electronic control system assures that there is no risk of the main battery becoming completely discharged.

Because the electric motor only provides "assistance" to the petrol engine, only a very small battery is required – resulting in virtually no loss of boot space. It does however mean that the Civic cannot be driven on battery power alone – both petrol and electric engines always work together.

As well as offering exceptional fuel consumption, IMA offers very low emissions levels and excellent driveability and performance. The system is destined to become a major feature of Honda's car range in the UK with other applications currently in the planning stage.

And the grass car?

It was created by bonding 30 square metres of high grade wasted turf to the Civic’s steel body. Three dozen 500ml cans of industrial grade impact adhesive were used for the purpose, with a paint shop curing oven used to partially dry the grass to get it to fix to the car. The process took two people two days to complete during which 14 cups of coffee and six bacon butties were said to have been consumed.

The layer of turf adds an estimated 280 kg to the weight of the Honda Civic, rising to around 700kg when watered (a daily task to preserve the new bodywork). The car’s performance is also adversely affected by an increase in aerodynamic drag – particularly if the grass is allowed to grow long.

But despite these difficulties, the grass car might still catch on. Right now, ‘Lorna’ (or ‘Lawn-a’ as it was dubbed by its creators at Chiswick Honda) is just a prototype to evaluate the concept and gauge public reaction. But if there is a demand for it, Honda might just be persuaded to offer ‘grass’ as an optional extra….

Credits: Dj iNTeK and http://djforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=18038

Lol, Theres Rice and then now theres Grass, But it does Seem to be a pretty good car,sms.

 

LoLz. It looks pretty cool