Seeing green

Environmental and cost benefits are driving the auto industry to adopt materials derived from renewable sources such as soybeans and corn.

Makers of agricultural equipment, as well as other off-highway machinery, are beginning to reap the benefits offered by the crops their machines help harvest. And so, too, are their car-making counterparts.

In this cycle, corn, soybeans (shown above), rapeseeds, or any of a variety of existing crops ultimately are used in one form or another in the equipment/vehicle itself. The most publicized example of this is as alternative sources of energy, such as ethanol or biodiesel blends, which already are helping to fuel vehicles both on and off road.