Our Crowdfunding Groups
Project PL-8 is an ambitious new student organization at UT Austin, set to make history by engineering the world’s first street-legal car from sustainable basalt fiber and the first street-legal production car ever created by students.
Imagine a future where your car’s body can dissolve back into the earth, leaving absolutely no trace behind, nourishing the soil instead of polluting it.
Starting in spring 2024, our members have worked on a new manufacturing process for basalt fiber in a start-up environment. By doing hands-on work in a large-scale engineering project using industry tools such as SolidWorks and RapidHarness, our team members learn well beyond a standard school curriculum and learn engineering design & manufacturing and business operations.
While much of the industry’s sustainability efforts focus on engine electrification, we take a different approach by prioritizing the sustainability of the car’s body—offering a solution that is both sustainable and affordable without sacrificing sports car level performance. This technology is compatible with any engine, appealing to both the sustainability-conscious and those passionate about combustion engines.
To bring our vehicle to life, we must design a vacuum-forming composite tool to mold our basalt fiber parts.
We're gearing up to enter our manufacturing cycle, and we need your support to purchase our materials and safety equipment.
We're seeking $7,000 through HornRaiser to fund this crucial tool, covering costs for raw materials for the base, heating elements to melt the composite, air compressors to power the vacuum system, as well as heat-resistant safety equipment.
Thank you for donating to our project! This amount can cover earplugs for the manufacturing team
Thank you! This is how many members are actively working on the PL-8 team
This $100 will cover the hoses we'll use in our vacuum pump. We're very grateful for your backing.
We appreciate your support! This amount helps cover the cost of one roll of basalt fiber
Thank you so much for your support! This donation amount covers our fire-resistant jackets and heat-resistant gloves for our metalwork. We’d be honored to display your name or logo on the car
This amount covers the vacuum pump for our manufacturing team. You’ll receive a social media shoutout, and we’d be honored to display your name or logo on the car and on our website. Thank you so much!
You fully funded our composite tool! You'll receive all the perks from the lower tiers, as well as meeting the founders. We cannot thank you enough :)
