The electric car made of Owase hinoki cypress is seen on the grounds of the Mie Prefectural Kumano Kodo Center in Owase, Mie Prefecture. (Mainichi/Emi Shimomura)

       OWASE, Mie -- Free rides in a tiny electric car made almost entirely out of wood resumed here recently after coronavirus quasi-state of emergency restrictions for part of Mie Prefecture were lifted on June 20.

       The car made of "Owase hinoki" cypress, which is unique to this region, is on display at the Mie Prefectural Kumano Kodo Center in the city of Owase. The test rides, open to primary school-aged children and under, restarted on June 26, and will run every sunny weekend from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. until Aug. 29. The car will be on display until Aug. 31.

       The initial display began on April 4. Children enjoyed sitting on the car's open backseat and feeling the wind on their faces as the vehicle made its way around the center grounds. However, the rides were suspended on April 19, when the prefecture was put under a "state of emergency alert" over the coronavirus.

       Deputy head of the center Hideo Miyamoto commented on the resumption of the rides, "This eco-car is the only one of its kind in the world. I want people to understand the possibilities of Owase hinoki cypress. Also, I want them to enjoy the look of the solid wood."

       The move to build the cypress car was sparked by the popularity among center visitors of another wooden conveyance, a hybrid vehicle called "Mokkun" made of Yoshino cedar that used sunlight and charcoal gas as fuel. Three volunteers established a committee to create an original car using local Owase hinoki cypress lumber, and asked for help from Osaka Sangyo University in Osaka Prefecture, which has car-building knowhow.

       The university team took some five months to make the car using a moped as a base and Owase hinoki cypress lumber for the body and chassis, and incorporating students' ideas such as making the body curvy. The vehicle can run about 50 kilometers on one charge, and is public road-certified for speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour.

       (Japanese original by Emi Shimomura, Owase Local Bureau)

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