The EcoJet: Jay Leno's Biodiesel-Powered Supercar
by Justin Thomas, Virginia 
on 10.31.06
Jay Leno and General Motors have unveiled a biodiesel-powered, 650 hp monster supercar named the EcoJet. The car was originally sketched by Leno and Ed on the back of a napkin, shares design cues with everything from jet aircraft and Formular One racecars. The EcoJet is powered by a Honeywell LT-101 turbine engine that runs on biodiesel, in a modified Corvette Z06 hydroformed aluminum frame with aluminum and magnesium structural and chassis components. "I drive it, wait for the harvest, get some corn and drive it some more," quipped Leno, who also said he is also converting his shop to solar power in an effort to be more environmentally conscious. :: See Jalopnik for more info and photos.
Follow @TreeHugger on Twitter & get our headlines with @TH_rss!
Thirsty for more? Check out these related articles:
- Cooking on a Budget: Use Everything
- How to Find an Alternative Fuel Station Anywhere in the US.
- Don't Miss Sheryl Crow's Green Summer Tour
- Runners: Choose a Marathon that Matches Your Eco-Values
- Remember the Barenaked Ladies? They're Green and On Tour
- Green Glossary: Planet Bike
Jay Leno and General Motors have unveiled a biodiesel-powered, 650 hp (400 lb.-ft. of torque), monster supercar named the EcoJet. "I drive it, wait for the harvest, get some corn and drive it some more
Gee, that Jay Leno is quite the Hugger- thinks biodiesel comes from corn.
he is also converting his shop to solar power in an effort to be more environmentally conscious
The guy with one of the world's biggest collections of gas hogs thinks putting some solar panels on his shop makes him green?
Come on. This doesn't belong on Treehugger.
Jay's certainly not very green, but this is better publicity for biodiesel than anything any comany could have bought.
How come some posts from Justin Thomas are found on Hugg first and never given credit?
Sooo just because he collects cars he can't be green or make steps to be green?
A "650 hp monster supercar" doesn't belong on Treehugger, even if it is called the EcoJet. Give me a break.
Come now, quit whining that "this or that doesn't belong on treehugger."
Sure, this sort of stuff doesn't really fit with most of our ideals, but it certainly is relevant.
Traffic fatalities claim 40,000 lives each year in the US alone. We don’t need another aggressively styled muscle car no matter what it runs on.
Sure because aggressively styled sport cars are the cause of all those 40,000 lives right?
No, of course sports cars aren’t a factor in all accidents, but oversized, overpowered vehicles certainly do make the roads a bit more dangerous for many road users. Certainly, a product’s design influences the way that users choose to interact with it. If that is the case, why design cars that tempt drivers to go too fast?
Who cares what it is and why other than it bringing light to alternative fuel?
40 year old bankers don't want a solar powered jalopy, they want a bare-metal supercar with more horses than Genghis. If this thing can supplant the petrol powered mid-life crises on the roads then I say huzzah for the EcoJet!
There is really nothing "Eco" about a 650hp gas turbine engine in a car, even if it is burning biodiesel. It will probably burn 10 gallons of the stuff in an hour idling...
This one will be no more practical to actually drive than his Stanley Steamer.
The one nice thing is that he probably won't drive it often.
Sorry, but BAD DRIVING causes traffic fatalities (bad driving includes drunk driving), not specific types of cars.
Of course I agree that bad driving causes traffic fatalities, not a particular style of car. I only brought up the statistic because, as product designer, I also believe that a product’s design influences the way that consumers choose to interact with it. If a car is overpowered and aggressively styled, it stands to reason that it will be driven more dangerously than a smaller friendlier car. To reverse the old Sullivan quote, this is an example of fuction follows form.
Shouldn't this be posted under un-treehugger?
Honda Civic's are meant to be fuel efficient, slow safe and boring vehicles. Yet everyday kids make them into supe'd up gas hogs that get a fraction of the mileage they were designed for. People who want to go fast will. How much better if they can do it in a friendlier way
I agree, how fast a vehicle goes 0-60 has little to do with majority of auto accidents. Careless driving is the main culprit. There is no "stand for reason" in this equation. Careless driving is the key...
alcohol, drugs, under-age, theft, criminal mischief...
If anything, a more powerful, aggressive vehicle is much safer (better up to speed, stopping, handling, and emergency manuevering abilities).
I think Mr. Leno is doing something wonderful. The more spotlight on "green" oriented vehicles the better. Let's shutdown the petro industry!
Take your Ecojet out on I-8 as you enter Arizona. the surface is slick like marble!! You will love it! It is about 20 or 50 miles stretch. unbelievable highway!! Someone must be waxing the highway with a roto machine nightly...
actually it old people that cause the most accident and most of them are in relatively green cars usually a diesel and some of them not realising they have crashed into a car until some one kindly tells them there back wheel is in the windscreen of the car behind. Kronezegg also offer a bio-diesel super car which is a lot greener than anything that uses a jet engine a hell of a faster and has no massive turbo lag it also doesn’t look like an American car (because its Swedish) so you won’t have to close you eyes before you get in
this looks fun, therefor it shouldnt belong on liberal sites like these, fun is wasteful we must all drive pria
Can you imagine riding in a car that sounds like you're flying in a jet?
Since a turbine can rev a hell of a lot faster than a gas or diesel, i think this would be an insanely fast car, until it ran out of horsepower of course.