PETALING JAYA, Malaysia, June 17 (UPI) -- In an era of rising interest in energy renewable resources, a Malaysian entrepreneur is working toward incorporating bamboo in automobile designs.
Desinger Datuk Ghazi Sheikh Ramli said he believes that utilizing bamboo in car design could increase fuel efficiency and lower costs, The Sun reported Thursday.
Ramli said that he received support from the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia.
In discussing his inspirations Ramli noted, "In Business Week, there is always a list of most innovative companies. I once found Tata group of India listed. Why Tata? It focuses on making cheap cars for its citizens -- it sees motorcyclists and sees the market. They see and think differently."
As for bamboo's integration into current automobile design Ramli observed: "I am confident bamboo can be used to make many car parts. A car is normally made of steel. A sports car is normally made of carbon fiber -- some parts are from fiberglass. From research, I know that bamboo can be turned into fiber. If they can make fiberglass, they will be able to make bamboo fiber. I know of one man in the U.S., who loves wood and he actually built with his friends, a wooden car -- only the chassis is steel and the rest is wood. The engine is 90 percent wood."
