Honda develops bio-fabric
by Erin Mays on Sep 6th 2006 at 12:26PM 
Honda Motor Company, ever the environmental trailblazer, has developed an earth-friendly fabric made from plants for its vehicle interiors. The fabric accomplishes two things that previously made such technologies flawed -- it's both durable and resistant to sunlight. The material is appropriate for seats, door coverings, headliners, floor mats and other fabric-covered surfaces.
The new fabric has the potential to cut energy consumption during production by 10 to 15 percent over processes for petroleum-based polyester fabrics, lessening CO2 emissions. It will first be used in Honda's fuel cell vehicles, set to go into production within the next three years or so.
[Source: peopleandplanet.net]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Howard Lee Harkness 1:28PM (9/06/2006)
While poking around for information on Honda's fuel-cell autos, I came across this little gem:
"Generating hydrogen from natural gas supplied for residential use, the Home Energy Station system also offers consumers the convenience of refueling hydrogen-powered fuel cell vehicles at home."
OK, let's use a wasteful, polluting process to convert a FOSSIL FUEL into something that contains less than half as much energy per unit volume as the original, and then run a car on that.
DOH!
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Charles S 1:51PM (9/06/2006)
In general, I'm down with hydrogen, but there is one advantage hydrogen has over EV: faster fueling. Newer and future batteries will eventually narrow the gap, however.
For now, if Honda wants to put a production hydrogen car on the road, the hydrogen has to come from somewhere, and natural gas will have to be the interim solution.
Also, while it is true that energy density of hydrogen cannot compare to liquid fuels, fuel cells are more efficient, thus your statement is misleading. Biofuels may hold more energy, but burning it in an ICE does not mean all of its energy content is used up in the process.
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DPC car videos 3:17PM (9/06/2006)
But will this fabric stand the test of time in a vehicle.
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Sandra 12:44PM (12/28/2006)
"But will this fabric stand the test of time in a vehicle?"
"The fabric accomplishes two things that previously made such technologies flawed -- it's both durable and resistant to sunlight."
Duh?
What, you think the textile industry doesn't have the means to test this stuff? What industry do you think helped develop cabon fiber technologies, fiber being the key word here?
Innovation/research/testing isn't just going on in the engine/fuel department, boys.
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