Students at engineering universities are currently designing concept cars that are plastic-part intensive instead of heavily steel-made cars. Cars that are made largely of plastic parts have many pros and cons. The current evolution of plastic automobile parts are more efficient, cost-effective, safe, and environmentally friendly. When the car is done, the plastics can be melted and remolded into new recyclable materials. While we aren’t yet to completely all plastic cars, many parts are already being made out of plastic.
According to the American Chemistry Council’s Automotive Learning Center, auto body exteriors, interiors, the electrical system, chassis and NVH performance, power train, fuel systems, and various engine components are able to be made out of plastics. Eventually, I can see this bringing down the overall cost of automobiles. During a transitional period, I’d hope the plastics involved in vehicle exteriors are extremely durable – metal vehicles colliding with plastic ones sounds dangerous – although probably less dangerous than a metal car on metal car accident. Also remember a plastic vehicle is a lighter-weight vehicle, which can contribute to higher fuel efficiency. Saving money on gas – something we could all use in this troubled economy of ours!
The recyclability of these mostly plastic cars is slated to make adoption in international arenas quick and painless, as looking at the lifecycle of these cars seems to indicate a lower overall impact on emissions and “clunkers” in the landfills at the end of the product’s lifecycle. Could these cars be the automotive industry’s future? Keep an eye out for future plastic car models to take over the market.
