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Welcome to the Lina Challenge, a Dutch initiative to create a car, body and chassis, from biobased materials: flaxlinen, sugar and bio-resin. The first bio-based car in the world! See the Guinness Book of Records.
About Lina, the first fully biobased car, body and chassis.....
The Lina was launched in 2017, after two years of work by a student team with 22 participants from TU Ecomotive at TU Eindhoven.
The Lina was the first car built from natural materials (flaxseed, sugar from sugar beets, and bio-resin). Since the Lina, more cars have been developed by TU Ecomotive based on this principle, including the Noah and the Luca. However, the Lina remains unique because it was the first with a fully biobased body and approval from the Dutch authorities (RDW), allowing the Lina to be driven on public roads.
And since then? In April 2022, BMW, Volvo, Porsche, and Airbus invested in www.Bcomp.ch, the company that, together with the Lina team, laid the foundation for composite car parts made from flax and sugar.
In July 2026, the Liux was announced as the first commercially available car using flax-linen composite for its body. For more information, visit www.liux.eco.
The Lina has now found a place for the public in the Flax Museum in Koewacht, near Hulst in the province of Zeeland, Netherlands. In this region, known for the cultivation of flax and sugar, 25% of the workforce was employed in the flax industry in 1950. Perhaps the new applications of sustainable flax products in construction, textiles, and food will help restore some of this prosperity.
Would you like to learn more about how the Lina is made from flax linen and sugar? Check out this video animation: https://youtu.be/2lkoC-vepKg.
Are you interested in using the Lina or its story to promote sustainable products or education? Feel free to contact us at info@linachallenge.com.
Want to learn more about how the Lina is made from flax linen and sugar? Watch this animated video: https://youtu.be/2lkoC-vepKg
Sponsors of the Lina, o.a.
Frequently asked questions
Why was the Lina Challenge started?
Every year, a team of students from TU Eindhoven, coming from various fields of study (mechanical engineering, business administration, innovation management), takes on a new challenge at TU Ecomotive, one of the innovation initiatives of TU Eindhoven. So far, this has resulted in ten new car designs. Visit https://www.tuecomotive.nl/our-family/ for more information.
What has been the results of the Lina Challenge?
The Lina was a significant step forward in building bio-based cars. It was the first car to have a complete body made from bio-based materials: flax linen and sugar. Additionally, it was the first car to be approved by the Dutch regulator RDW. The result is not only still an innovative concept but also includes a large group of proud students who remain involved with the Lina and apply their experiences to other innovations. The development of the Lina continues at companies such as Bcomp (https://www.bcomp.ch/) and NPSP (https://www.npsp.nl/nl/).
See, among other things, this message from Bcomp: https://www.bcomp.ch/news/series-b/ With the important quote: 'The new investors include automotive OEM venture funds BMW i Ventures, Porsche Ventures, and Volvo Cars Technology Fund AB, alongside Airbus Ventures.'"
See here the solutions and projects pages of Bcomp (https://www.bcomp.ch/#) and NPSP (https://www.npsp.nl/nl/projecten). From traffic signs to bridges, from cars to sailboats and scooters. In the long run, Tata Steel may produce less steel, agriculture may see its products used in more high-quality applications, and CO2 emissions from transportation will be reduced, addressing three societal issues to some extent."
Contact
To visit the Flax Museum, please contact us at info@vlasmuseum.nl
Would you like to learn more about the Lina Challenge or how the Lina and the Lina Challenge story could be featured at an event? Please contact us at info@linachallenge.com