Warwick Manufacturing Group, based at Warwick University in the UK, has produced an environmentally friendly racing car called Eco 1. Originally designed to achieve a top speed of 125mph, the car now achieves speeds of over 150mph. And it gets there fast with a 0-60mph acceleration time of under 4 seconds.

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Just ahead of the London Motor Show, Lotus has announced a special edition of its Elise sports car, the Eco Elise. This eco-friendly version of an already pretty efficient little sports car, improves the Elise’s footprint throughout its life, from production to eventual retirement without sacrificing performance.

How have they done this? A large part of the changes are in the choice of materials used to make the car. While the structural and drivetrain components remain mostly the same, sustainable materials like hemp, eco wool and sisal have been used for body panels and trim and a new water based paint has been used for the exterior finish.

On the more technical side, a new gear change light has been added, letting the driver know the optimum time to change gear, and flexible solar panels have been integrated into the car’s hemp hard top roof panel. The solar panels contribute power to the car’s electrical system, saving energy that would have come from the engine. No numbers have been provided for the amount of power generated, and given the size of the Elise’s roof panel, and the information about Toyota’s plans for solar panels in their next generation Prius, I imagine it is not much power.

[Via AutoBlog.]