Talk about going all the way when it comes to going green – this wooden electric bicycle hybrid that was developed by design students Jirka Wolff, Andreas Patsiaouras and Marcel Heise is certainly a sight to behold. They are currently students at the HAWK University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hildesheim, Germany, and this hybrid vehicle has been christened as “Rennholz”, which is translated to “racing wood”. Taking up to 10 weeks from its design to physical conception, the Rennholz is driven by a standard Bosch cordless screwdriver, using bent wood as its construction material of choice.
It would be interesting to see how Rennholz will change the way we view sustainable materials in the vehicle construction industry – the question is, will it be able to do so? Apart from sustainability issues, the use of bent wood which is naturally flexible will also add to the overall driving comfort levels. How much do you think one would pay for this if it were to be commercialized?