Goin' Green into the afterlife: all-electric hearses for your last ride
Emucesa, the company that manages the cemetery of Granada, Spain (here's a link for more on the cemetery's history), has decided to replace its three hearses with greener vehicles: electric all-new ones. An unnamed Spanish company is currently working on the design of the models, which will be unveiled next January. Emucesa will replace the current three diesel Mercedes hearses, which are converted E-Class station wagons, for these all-electric end-of-life rides.
José Antonio Muñoz, manager of Emucesa, said that their first option was using converted golf carts with a special trailer behind, but that solution brought mobility problems, since the vehicles have to maneuver backwards to access niches and tombs.
The project, called Ion, will not only include the design of the powertrain and the vehicle itself, but requires that the hearses have other features, such as a sound system that plays music. Traditional funerals in Spain end up with relatives and friends walking behind the hearse to the cemetery. Now they won't have to breathe in the hearse's fumes. Emucesa is also offering greener options for funerals, such as biodegradable coffins made from carton and fabric.
Pictured above is an old horse-drawn hearse, the original green hearse option.
[Source: Granada Hoy]
Add your comments