TU ecomotive's noah is the world's first circular electric car

a team of students at eindhoven university of technology unveil the world’s first electric circular car. dubbed ‘noah’, it will be the fifth car from TU ecomotive history and will feature new technologies focused on the future of the automotive industry.

all images © TU ecomotive

TU ecomotive’s ‘noah’ is a fully electric city car and seats two people, while its chassis, body panels and interior are made from a biocomposite with as main component flax. the biocomposite material has been revised this year to be more sustainable in both production as recyclability. the matrix of polypropylene has been replaced by a matrix of PLA. with this modification, the biocomposite will be produced with materials that are over 90 percent made from renewable resources. the chassis will be constructed out of a sandwich panel combining the biocomposite with a honeycomb structured core from sugarcane (PLA). as the entire sandwich panel is comprized of just two materials, it is now fully recyclable.

the circular economy was a leading concept during the design process and focuses on sustainable production. with ‘noah’ tipping the scales at just 350 kg, it can drive efficiently. the complete drivetrain has been optimized and with a system called ‘smesh gear’ the car will reach an efficiency of 97% during acceleration and even a 100% efficiency at constant speeds. the electromotors are powered by six modular batteries that enable easy battery swapping and the possibility to gradually introduce better battery technology when available. for ‘noah’ to be future-proof it comes equipped with NFC scanners in the doors which make it perfect for carsharing. with this scanner, the door can be opened by any mobile device, ‘noah’ will immediately recognize the user and set the car to their personal preferences.