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Over the past few years, the sheer number and let’s face it, odd nature of some green innovations in the automotive industry have increased ten-fold as many innovators out there look to everyday materials and substances for inspiration. From algae to vegetable oil, it is fair to say that there isn’t a substance or material out there that hasn’t been tested as fuel for our autos. But one substance that many of us eat all the time for pleasure has found another use in our world: chocolate. Yes, your eyes have not deceived you; chocolate is now being used to power engines. It may be a while until you see your neighbour jamming chocolate bars into his auto’s gas tank, but at the Formula 3 level of racing, chocolate may be the very thing that brings the green revolution to a fuel hungry motor sport.
What Is Formula 3 Racing?
A Formula 3 racing car looks just like what many racing fans in North America consider an “Indy Car.” These technologically advanced and designed cars are, for all intents and purposes, rockets with wheels on them, as the top league cars are capable of hitting speeds of 165mph in race conditions. Many of us are probably a bit more familiar with Formula 1 racing, as these cars and drivers are indeed atop their sport in more ways than one. But Formula 3, especially across the ocean in the UK, is also quite popular. To make a long story short, a Formula 3 car is simply a scaled down version of a Formula 1 car, but with less power, as they only use a two litre engine to reign in the power. However, Brits and fans worldwide keep a close eye on Formula 3 because many of the winning drivers end up becoming excellent racers on the Formula 1 Circuit.
The Car
The brainchild of Dr. Kerry Kirwan out of the University of Warwick (UK), the very first sustainable Formula 3 racecar is a force to be reckoned with on the track. One of the downsides of the green movement in the automotive industry, at least for gear heads, is the fact that green autos aren’t as fast as their pure gasoline and diesel powered counterparts. This isn’t the case with the chocolate-animal fat powered racecar. Right now the current top speed of the car is a staggering 135 mph in race conditions and it can also zoom to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds (with the aid of a turbo charger); faster than most super cars.
To boot, the car is lubricated by plant oils, not your standard fossil fuel based oil. Don’t worry; it is made out of green materials as well. The main components of the vehicle include recycled carbon fibre (what most Formula 3 cars are made of), woven flax (from the flax seed) and the steering wheel is made out of recycled resin and carrot pulp. In terms of practicality, the racecar’s wing mirrors are made out of water resistant potato starch and the side pods are made out of recycled plastic bottles.
It would seem that besides being green, the racecar could also make for a healthy meal (I’m joking, of course)! All joking aside, the sustainable racecar got the stamp of approval from many Formula 3 drivers and crew. For safety reasons and the fact that the car will be going quite fast, it uses the rubber tires that all other Formula 3 cars use. But do not expect to see this green racecar on the track in an actual Formula 3 race, as the diesel engine it uses does not comply with Formula 3 standards.
How Does It Burn Chocolate?
Believe it or not, this racecar isn’t a modern marvel from an engine technological standpoint. It derives its power from chocolate and animal fats, i.e. vegetable oil through a simple diesel engine refined a bit to run on biofuels. You may know someone who uses vegetable oil to power their diesel car or truck and this is how the racecar does it also. As long as a fuel has combustible energy in it, a diesel engine can make due because it doesn’t use a spark to start the combustion process, but rather it uses heat. A diesel engine runs far hotter than a gasoline engine, hence when the combination chocolate-animal fat mixture makes it to the engine; its inherent energy is used to power the cylinders.
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