Choco-Powered Car? Environ-MENTAL!

This is just ridiculously cool. The WorldFirst project has created the greenest race car ever. How green? The steering wheel is made of carrot-based polymer, the wing mirrors are made of potatoes, and there's a biodiesel engine which runs on "waste chocolate."

Let's all just take a moment to appreciate how gross "waste chocolate" sounds. Mmm.

They're calling it the Vegetable Car, aptly. Now, I grew up going to the Indy 500 every year, so I'm naturally a skeptic.

Wanna watch it go?

Booyah! That is some serious vegetable action all over somebody's parking lot! It's impossible to gauge, so I'll tell you — that thing can go 125 mph around corners! The racing seat is flax fiber and soybean oil foam.

I have to admit that part of me is still thinking about the "chocolate waste."

From WorldFirst:

"Following the recent turmoil in Formula 1 arising from the high costs of running competitive motor racing teams, and doubts in sponsors' minds over the commercial value of their involvement, the viability of motor racing is being critically questioned. With this in mind the Warwick Innovative Manufacturing Research Centre (WIMRC), part the University of Warwick, are seeking to prove to  the motor industry that it is possible to build a competitive racing car using environmentally sustainable components."

The University of Warwick's James Meredith, the project manager, said, "It's been very exciting working on the project and important for our team to develop a working example of a truly 'green' motor racing car.  The WorldFirst project expels the myth that performance needs to be compromised when developing the sustainable motor vehicles of the future."

Well, James Meredtih, I sure like that a lot. The Brits have cutely dubbed the project "Environ-MENTAL." This is really, really cool — and a good nod to the future of a sustainable motor vehicle industry.