As a car-nut and an eco-freak, what’s a guy to do? Petroleum burning internal combustion engines plus speed and power don’t equal green driving, but Lotus has been working on greener fuels and more efficient cars including the Tri-Fuel Exige 270E which can run on ethanol, gasoline, or methanol. Besides that, their cars are also lightweight with small engines that run on a fraction of the fuel used by other exotics like Lamborghini and Ferrari makes. As far as sports car companies go, Lotus is arguably the greenest of them all. Now with the upcoming Eco Elise, Lotus seems to be making a car for me… and other eco nuts of course.

Continued…
To reduce emissions and increase efficiency, Lotus added roof-mounted solar panels to keep the electronics charged and decreased weight in the car by 70.5 lbs.

Lotus went beyond the engine and weight to make the car more even more eco-friendly with a hand-painted water-based finish that reduces emissions from the plant. The hardtop and rear spoiler were also made with a hemp composite, further reducing the reliance on petroleum based plastics, or even carbon fiber. The seats and carpets (yes, carpets in a Lotus) are made from eco-friendly wool and sisal, and the same hemp composite used on the outside.

Besides it being a version of one of my favorite cars, these eco-friendly pieces make me want to get my hands on this car so much more. Read the press release over at AutoBlogGreen