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Recycled Materials Find Their Way Inside New Vehicles
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Shane McGlaun/Daily Tech
October 19, 2009
Automotive manufacturers around the
globe are looking to go green with their vehicles in more than one
way. Not only are they designing vehicles that are more
fuel-efficient and produce less pollution, they are looking to use
greener materials to build the vehicles with as well.
When
thinking of green vehicles, what tends to come to mind are cars like
the GM Volt with electric powertrains. Many carmakers are also looking
to use recycled and green parts inside the car’s interior. The
Detroit News reports that automakers
are now using materials like worn out jeans, plastic bottles, and
other rubbish typically thrown in the trash.
GM materials
engineer Lora Herron said, “If we have two parts — one is
recycled, the other one is virgin — and they perform and cost the
same, why wouldn’t you use the recycled one?”
Carmakers
often see cost savings in using recycled materials for parts, but not
always. It can be hard for the manufacturer to design a part that is
as durable as parts made from manmade plastics and materials. That
means that the car marker has to spend more time in research and
development, which could make the recycled part more expensive.
One
of the big recycled items that GM uses in interior parts are recycled
plastic milk cartons. Last year 9% of all milk cartons, detergent
bottles, and other containers made form high-density polyethylene
were used in automotive parts in America. Ten years ago, the
percentage was negligible.
Plastic isn’t the only recycled
material making their way into vehicles today. The 2010 Buick
LaCrosse is using cardboard from the GM Marion Stamping Plans as
acoustic ceiling panels. GM also uses kenaf for ceiling support and
acoustics in some vehicles. Kenaf is a plant similar to
bamboo.
Herron estimates that GM uses 5-10% recycled plastics
in its vehicles. The manufacturer is even turning scrap yarn from
carpet mills into plastic for an engine part in some of its vehicles.
Ford also uses recycled plastics in its vehicles as well as
biodegradable plastics made from corn and switch grass. “We said
hey, we have to do a little better than great gas millage,” said
Carol Kordich, Ford’s lead sustainability designer. “So we
started looking into the interior.”
_© 2009, DailyTech
