Leaders in the auto industry, as far back as Henry Ford, have understood the value industrial hemp has to car manufacturing, construction materials and paper products.
“Why use up the forests, which were centuries in the making, and the mines which required ages to lay down if we can get the equivalent of forest and mineral products in the annual growth of the hemp fields?” Henry Ford
In fact, Ford built a car made entirely of hemp.
Henry Ford spent more than a decade researching and building his Model T car. This was in the 1940’s, it was completely made from hemp. This car was 10 times stronger than steel and was also designed to run off of hemp bio-fuel!
Now, more than 70 years later, we are looking again at the value of industrial hemp for the auto industry. Natural fibers like industrial hemp and kenaf plants are now being used to make materials that can be molded and manufactured to replace fiberglass products.
In Indiana, reporter Robert Franklin wrote an article for the South Bend Tribune which features a local business and their use of industrial hemp. Franklin tells the story of how auto parts manufacturer, Flex Form Technologies uses industrial hemp and kenaf to create car panels. The process begins with bales of raw hemp which is turned into fibrous sheets that are fed into machinery that in turn creates the auto door panels.
Flex Form was just one company featured in an article about how industrial hemp is changing the materials used in a number of industries:
One new product is car-door liners. Manufacturers such as Flexform Technologies in Elkhart, Indiana, and Johnson Controls’ German plant take felt-like mats of non-woven hemp fibers, spray them with resin, and then press them into the appropriate shape. BMW and Ford use the light, strong material in their cars’ doors, and similar products are used in airplanes, says Steenstra.
Hemp, Inc. is part of the industrial hemp revolution. We will sell hemp and kenaf fiber to companies in the auto industry. Not only will it make strong panels for cars, it is a green solution that can replace petroleum-based plastics and fibers.
Industrial hemp isn’t limited in its advantages to just car door panels. In fact, researchers in Canada have found a way to manufacture an entire car made from hemp plants.
Industrial Hemp Plants Used in Most Eco-Friendly Car Available
Collective Evolution, a company that believes in creating change by thinking outside the box, recently wrote about this amazing hemp car:
It’s weight is approximately 2,500 pounds, and has a very affordable price given the fact that hemp is very easy to grow and requires nothing but the sun. It fits 4 passengers and the production version of it was supposed to be available this year. The body of the car is completely impact-resistant and made entirely out of hemp.
The Kestrel’s hemp composite body shell passed its crash test in strong form, unlike steel, the panels bounce back into shape after impact. Hemp also has the same mechanical properties as glass. It is even lighter than glass and these properties help boost fuel efficiency.
Yes, industrial hemp offers thousands of eco-friendly solutions to modern day necessities, however, we are still held down in the U.S. by the fact that it is illegal in many states to grow, harvest and manufacture industrial hemp. If you haven’t joined the Hemp Revolution and signed the petition that the National Hemp Association will be presenting to Congress –
Sign the petition here: NHA Federal Campaign Petition.
