On Earth Day 2011, a film crew and team of auto-restoration experts announced a project that will combine existing green technologies, parts and components in an attempt to create the world's greenest car.
This summer, a group of documentary filmmakers and auto-enthusiasts will soon embark on an historic journey that will be known as the Green Machine Experiment.
The vehicle itself will rely on existing green technologies and as many earth-friendly components as possible. Which technologies will be used, and how they are used, will be the main subject of the film. The team will analyze every piece of the vehicle—from the transmission to the tires—and attempt to find the most environmentally friendly options for all components. The process of selecting the technology, parts and design will be the main storyline of the film.
Wondering who's motivated and creative enough to take on such an unprecedented project? Let's meet the team:
Jake Lesada: An eccentric, but brilliant auto restoration expert. He has restored everything from historic classics to antique boats. He will be the driving technological force and expert of the project. He will be the main mechanic and builder of the vehicle.
Andrew Magpoc: An experienced filmmaker and editor from Honolulu. He has worked with public transit effort for many years and has a great passion for seeing transportation as a whole become more energy efficient and accessible to the public at large. This experiment is his baby, his idea that he has been developing for many years.
Brad Pruitt: A passionate advocate for the extraordinary talent that exists in the Midwest. With a history of making films that look at poignant issues, Pruitt is leading the team on the Green Machine Experiment. Grateful for a career graced with both opportunity and awards Pruitt expressed his enthusiasm for this project when he said, "I think this could be a game changer and I'm proud to have been invited to be a part of it.”
It seems like building a green franken-car out of disparate technologies is a pretty hard path, so we asked the team why they chose to start from scratch:
"Basically, we are trying to build the greenest car using a "marriage" of technologies, which has never been done before--as far as we know. So we kind of have to start from scratch. The marriage of technologies is the challenge we have given ourselves because we feel it is perhaps the "focus on one type of technology" mentality that has slowed innovation in this field."
Even though the Green Machine isn't likely to rival the popularity of the Prius or LEAF anytime soon, the team hopes that this exploration of technologies will inspire more grassroots innovation and demonstrate how consumers can build or convert their own clean vehicle.
“We want eco-conscious people to have a hand in this movement, so we opened the film up to public funding and contribution,” said Pruitt. “We want everyone to have a chance to get involved in this project, which we believe will be one small step in the resurgence of American innovation in automotive technology.”
Time is running out on the projects current Kickstarter effort, but if you like their Facebook page the team says they'll be announcing a new donations page in the next week or so.
