Quote:
Originally Posted by Ian NZ
Were these coils made with a material out of Soybeans.
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While Henry Ford did a lot of experimentation with soybean related plastics, Ford never really went into any major production with the stuff. Most all electrical parts were made with phenolic plastic or bakelite as it is commonly known so as to have the best insulator properties for the price.
The soybean car prototype was made utilizing some soy fiber mixed with phenolic resin & formaldehyde according to Lowell Overly who was involved with the project. This would be a close relative to Bakelite.
In the modern era, folks are experimenting with corn and soybeans to manufacture biodegradable plastics for packaging. The stuff is a lot more expensive to produce than plastics made from petroleum products but it does have good biodegradability and may eventually take over production for consumer packaging just due to that fact.