Kumho, better known for their tires, released a new concept car that aspires to be the world's first eco-friendly car - the Kumho Epoch. The Kumho Epoch has a chassis grown from bamboo, thereby providing an immediate carbon offset, and recycled tire tread rubber lightweight body panels.
Kumho Press Release:
KUMHO UNVEILS 'EPOCH' – THE BLUE SKY CAR WITH BRIGHT GREEN CREDENTIALS
Forward thinking tire manufacturer Kumho is paving the way for the world's first truly eco-friendly racing car. Inspired by the company's success in this year's Le Mans 24 hour race,
it decided to employ its unique conceptual abilities to show exactly what an environmentally friendly Le Mans car of the future could look like. The result is the Epoch!
Epoch by name and nature, Kumho's revolutionary single-seater simply bristles with futuristic technology and green credentials. Its chassis is grown from bamboo, thereby providing an immediate carbon offset, while its lightweight body panels are formed from recycled tire tread rubber.
Power comes from Maglev (Magnetic Levitation) units integral to the four-wheel hubs. Proven in the railway industry, this advanced electromagnetic technology has the advantage of zero friction as well as maximum torque at zero rpm.
As you'd expect from one of the world's leading tire manufacturers, the Epoch also boasts revolutionary tire technology. Known as EAP (Electro Active Polymer), it allows the tread and even the shape of the tires to be fundamentally altered simply by passing an electric current through the rubber. This is achieved via the
positioning of magnets on the hubs and within the wheel rims. It effectively allows the characteristics of the tire to be altered at will, to suit different tastes and conditions.
Even the car's interior benefits from an example of Kumho's innovative tire technology, being clad with the type of scented 'aroma' rubber already available for the tires of various luxury saloons and compact SUVs.
Epoch is the work of Kumho's in-house designer, Rob Dolton. The only qualified vehicle designer employed within the world's tire industry, he is retained by Kumho's European Technical Center in Birmingham specifically to explore future technologies for road and track vehicles, and the tires they run on. A graduate of the internationally renowned Automotive Design Department of Coventry University, he worked for Fiat Advanced Design in Turin before joining Kumho in 2005.
Enthusing about his brainchild Rob Dolton said, "While delighted at winning the LMP2 class at Le Mans this year, we accept that environmental pressures will not allow motorsport to carry on in its current form indefinitely.
However, rather than viewing it as an increasingly antisocial pastime, we regard it as a perfect platform for developing green technology solutions. Epoch is an example of just how exciting the future could be."
