Across China: Chinese carpenter's electric vehicles

Liu Fulong never expected anything to come from his woodwork hobby.

However, the products he crafts are real, fully operational vehicles that are powered by electric engines.

Liu, 49, who was initially trained as a carpenter, runs a small plant supplying anticorrosive wooden materials in Shenyang City in the northeast province of Liaoning.

Even though not a mechanic by trade, Liu set himself the task of building his first wooden roadster last August. It cost him more than 10,000 yuan (about 1,639 U.S. dollars) and took three months.

The vehicle, which can reach speeds of up to 40 kilometers per hour, was exhibited at an auto show, and Liu was pleasantly surprised the interest shown by attendees.

Each vehicle has more than 1,000 components, the steering wheel alone is made from more than 60 parts crafted in wood.

"I'm a carpenter. I want to show the world the skills of Chinese carpenters," he said.

Liu entered the carpentry trade at 16, and went on to manage a laundry, decoration firm and chemical plant. These small businesses did not make him rich but gave him the opportunity to learn skills such as carving and welding.

Due to his penchant for business, he saw that there was potential in his hobby.

After the auto show, a number of companies approached Liu, and one firm even placed a 40,000 yuan order for one of his wooden vehicles.

His second electric vehicle was able to reach speeds of up to 50 kilometers per hour and he made more of its parts from wood.

His interest stems from time he spent in Xinjiang, when he helped his landlord build a wooden tricycle.

Currently, he is working on his latest invention -- an armored vehicle with handcrafted wooden body; wooden radar and missiles; reversing alarms; and three-row leather seats.

"I don't want to accept too many orders because I want to focus my energy on improving the performance of my vehicles," he said.

Although his environmentally-friendly vehicles are not allowed on roads, Lui can see them being used in places like national parks for tours.

"I hope they can be mass produced in the future," he said. Endi