An environmentally friendly eco-car made from vegetables and designed by students at the University of Warwick has been on tour around Coventry and Warwickshire.

Its first public outing was at the Eden Project in April, but since then it has been on the road meeting school pupils, business leaders and Coventry Ambassadors. Its next stop is a meeting of industry leaders and academics in Birmingham and it will then enjoy a day out at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh in July.

Local school pupils had the opportunity to see the car in action at a Schools Day on the University campus in April. The pupils learnt about the environmentally friendly fuels and lubricants used to power the car and were shown a different side to science and technology than they would experience in the classroom.

The car then went back to meet its ancestors at Coventry Transport Museum on 26 April. The city’s Coventry Ambassadors group held a meeting at the transport museum and many of the city’s key figures had the opportunity to see the innovative vehicle and meet project manager Ben Wood.

Ben, who is studying for his Engineering Doctorate at Warwick said “Almost everything on the car can be made out of biodegradable or recyclable materials. If we can build a high-performance car that can virtually be grown from seed, just imagine what’s possible for the average family car.”

Tomorrow, the car will be on show at a conference for industry leaders and academics at Millennium Point in Birmingham. ‘Autolink’ encourages collaboration between education and industry and conference attendees will have the opportunity to see the vehicle up close.

During May, June and July, the car will be showing pupils the exciting side of science in ‘How Science Works’ sessions at schools in the region. The car will be visiting Weavers School, Wellingborough: Daventry William Parker School, Northamptonshire: and Ise Community College in Kettering.

Finally, the car will be on display at the Royal Show at Stoneleigh NAC between the 1^st – 4th July. The Royal show is a prestigious agricultural event bringing together the farming industry and rural community. It attracts more than 140,000 visitors each year.

With so many public appearances in the coming weeks, it’s a good job the fuel is so environmentally friendly!