Sustainable materials in car manufacturing: Trends and innovations

As people’s awareness of how materials used in vehicles affect the environment, the automotive sector is leading the way in material innovation to develop environmentally friendly materials.  We will talk about the two aspects of this article: innovations in sustainable car production and current developments in sustainable car manufacturing.

 

Current Trends in Sustainable Car Manufacturing

 

Present-day advancements like carbon-neutral production and cars with zero emissions show how important sustainability is becoming to the automobile sector. These developments are increased by growing customer interest in sustainable vehicles and heightened awareness of environmental and sustainability issues in society, which is reflected in the establishing of stronger emissions rules and regulations.

 

Maximizing the efficiency of the vehicles by using lightweight materials.

 

Cars can include more sophisticated safety features, integrated electronic systems, and emission control systems without using heavy materials, lightweight structural materials can be used here.  These lightweight materials can be used in any type of vehicle, hybrid, plug-in hybrid, and electric vehicles particularly benefit from their use. 

 

To lighten cars and increase their fuel efficiency, plastic, and polymer composites are being used more and more in automotive manufacturing. The weight of a vehicle’s body and chassis can be directly reduced by up to 50% by swapping out cast iron and conventional steel components for lightweight materials like high-strength steel, magnesium (Mg) alloys, aluminum (Al) alloys, carbon fiber, and polymer composites. This will lower the vehicle’s fuel consumption.

 

Making the move to smart interior materials

 

Conventional automotive interior materials, such as leather and synthetic textiles, require a lot of water and energy to produce. Furthermore, areas such as driver’s seats may undergo significant deterioration that needs early replacement.

 

Although synthetic materials have long been the fundamental component of traditional automotive interior design, a notable trend is moving toward the usage of natural fibers. Organic cotton, hemp, and wool textiles are becoming more popular these days for sustainable vehicle interiors. These materials add a more sustainable driving experience in addition to providing a comfortable ride.

Automakers are looking into alternative materials instead of leather because they are truly concerned about the environment, sustainability, and the welfare of animals. pineapple leather (Piñatex) and mushroom leather (mycelium) offer the lavish look and texture same as classic leather.

 

The usage of recycled textiles in automobile interiors is another way to increase sustainability. Recycled PET bottles and post-consumer garbage are used to create fabrics that regenerate wasted materials. Using recycled materials to create elegant and long-lasting car interiors is a great way to embrace sustainability.  

 

Creating smart interiors that adjust to the driver’s preferences and energy-efficient climate control systems that lower overall energy usage, automotive engineers are embracing cutting-edge technologies. These developments help the overall objective of producing automobiles that operate sustainably and employ sustainable materials. Automakers are teaming up more frequently with environmentally conscious suppliers and academic institutions to produce more sustainable vehicle materials. 

 

Sustainable vehicle innovations

 

As part of a circular economy, where polymers are generated from renewable or recycled raw materials, bioplastics, or plastics made from bio-based polymers, have the potential to contribute to more sustainable commercial plastic life cycles. At the end of their useful lives (EOL), products are recycled or reused using energy that is carbon neutral during manufacturing. 

 

Bio Plastics

 

Though bioplastics have been used in the automotive sector since the 1930s, in the last 15 years people have started to use bioplastics in the automotive \industries.  When it comes to utilizing bio-plastics in automobiles, Japanese automakers appear to be in the lead. The most popular bioplastics types that have been used are natural fibers, polybutylene succinate, bio-based polypropylene,  Bio polyamids ( Bio-PA), PLA, and PLA-based composite. In this section, we are going to discuss natural fibers and  Bio Polyamides (Bio-PA).

 

Most of the time polymers/plastics are mixed with fibers to make the Composites. This increases the strength of composites. “Fiberglass,” a composite made of a polymer and glass fiber, is the most well-known composite. Bio-composites are created by combining plastics and polymers with fibers obtained from renewable sources. 

 

polyamides (PA) have excellent mechanical qualities like rigidity, heat resistance, chemical resistance, fire resistance, and a good appearance. Approximately 10% of the plastic components in contemporary automobiles are PA and PA composites. The majority of PA utilized in automotive applications comes from fossil fuels.

Nanotechnology and automotive industry.

 

The application of nanotechnology and nanomaterials to improve the performance of materials and devices for automotive applications is examined in Nanotechnology in the Automotive Industry. The field of automotive electronics has seen an increase in innovation due to the influence of nanotechnology. However, nanotechnology is built into car electronics in a way that goes beyond technical breakthroughs. It also represents a fundamental change in the way we think about mobility. 

 

Nano coatings are the most commonly used form of nanotechnology in the automotive sector. The development of lightweight nanoparticles for automobile parts is one of the most significant uses of nanotechnology in the automotive industry. 

 

References and further readings

 

Mills, J. (2024) ‘Top 5 sustainability trends in automotive materials,’ Microban, 10 January. https://www.microban.com/blog/sustainability-trends-automotive-materials.

 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (no date) Sustainability in the automotive industry. https://www.pwc.de/en/sustainability/sustainability-in-the-automotive-industry.html

 

Melbourne, B.C. for C. (2023) ‘The future of car interior materials: sustainable fabrics and recyclable plastics,’ Medium, 18 December. https://medium.com/@bestcashforcarz/the-future-of-car-interior-materials-sustainable-fabrics-and-recyclable-plastics-d54ed554e5a6.

 

Rosenboom, J.-G., Langer, R. and Traverso, G. (2022) ‘Bioplastics for a circular economy,’ Nature Reviews Materials, 7(2), pp. 117–137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41578-021-00407-8.

Plastics, A. (2020) History of bioplastics in the automotive industry.https://adapt.mx/history-of-bioplastics-in-the-automotive-industry/#:~:text=First%20Car%20Made%20Completely%20out%20of%20Bioplastics&text=The%20car%20was%20created%20by,60%20kg%20(132%20pounds).

 

Nanotechnology in the automotive industry (no date). https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780323905244/nanotechnology-in-the-automotive-industry#book-description.

 

AZoNano (2021) The Road to Lightweight Automotive Engineering with Nanotechnology. https://www.azonano.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=5906.

 

Lightweight materials for cars and trucks (no date). https://www.energy.gov/eere/vehicles/lightweight-materials-cars-and-trucks.

Polkadot: Web3 Interoperability | Decentralized Blockchain (no date). https://polkadot.network/.