ecofriend.org

Plastics Are Fast-tracking Electric Vehicle Innovations

Plastics Are Fast-tracking Electric Vehicle Innovations

The automotive industry is in the midst of its biggest revolution in a century. The reason for this is the rise and popularity of hybrid and electric vehicles. Many more people are getting interested in and switching to these vehicles while governments are adopting policies to promote them. This is part of their sustainability efforts seeing the environmental impact combustion engine vehicles have on the world.

How Do Plastics Factor Into All This?

Owning-an-electric-vehicle

Even though it may not seem like it, plastics have played a significant role in the automotive industry for a long time. They are meant to replace heavy and rigid metals, making cars more fuel efficient and thereby helping reduce their impact on the environment.

Plastics also allow automotive manufacturers to experiment with new and flexible designs, produce safer cars, and create aesthetic car designs while keeping the cars lightweight. Additionally, reinforced plastic that is designed properly can provide the same stability and strength provided by metal.

Looking at the future of electric vehicles, it is easy to see how and why plastics would play a significant role.

Making Electric Vehicles More Sustainable

Over the past few years, sustainability has become one of the most important drivers for innovation in the automotive industry and from every indication, it looks like it will be the future of this industry. The increase in popularity and the popularity of electric vehicles is tied to their lower environmental impact compared to combustion engine vehicles.

There have been arguments that look beyond the “fuel” used by vehicles when gauging the sustainability and environmental impact of EVs. They factor in the materials used and how many parts will end up in landfills after the vehicles’ lifespans.

Experts have looked at this issue in depth and electric vehicles are still more sustainable and greener than combustion engine counterparts.

If you’d like to learn more about EVs, ElectriX is a premier information platform that tells you everything you need to know about electric vehicles. They cover everything from charging to how much it would cost to buy, own, and live with an electric car in addition to helping you find the right insurance should you switch to an EV.

Even though EVs come out on top, there is still more that can be done to make electric vehicles more sustainable. Automotive manufacturers need to develop vehicle lifecycles. These life cycles include strategies for reusing materials that have reached their end of life to produce new vehicles thus making the industry more sustainable.

New technologies now allow end-of-life materials reused and processed in such a way that they meet the same standards as new materials. We can expect to see most, if not all, materials used in electric vehicles recycled and reused in the future.

Eliminating Noise and Vibration

Young woman  driving electric car

Today’s vehicles are quite noisy because of the squeaking and noise produced by components as the vehicle moves. This noise and vibration can also be caused by rubber and plastic materials rubbing against each other. Currently, the most common way to reduce this noise is using felt between parts that make noise and vibrate.

Electric vehicles can explore new materials to deal with these issues. Electric vehicles are already quiet enough when you are standing outside, and these low noise levels should continue when you get inside the vehicle. Since there is no noise outside to make the noise and vibration coming from the vehicle itself, manufacturers are looking for new ways to address this issue.

They are using new materials meant to reduce noise levels. These materials minimise squeaking and this eliminates noise when inside the car. Polymers used in different industries such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene are being modified and used to minimise noise and vibrations. These modifications allow these materials to be used without any safety or performance concerns.

If the industries continue to use these materials for noise and vibration reduction, manufacturers can save a lot of time and money, but that will only happen if these materials can perform as well as solutions used in the past.

Improved Longevity and Durability

Apart from noise and vibration, electric vehicle manufacturers must think about adaptability and durability as the share of plastic materials in electric vehicles increases. Materials like polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) are already an integral part of today’s vehicles and continue to be a great option for new features in the future. PPMA is a synthetic resin whose popularity is increasing in different industries.

This material is used to cover sensors and cameras that would give false readings of damages. This is because this material is not only transparent; it also resists scratches and is very durable.

Another material of note is polycarbonate (PC), which is mixed with acrylonitrile butadiene styrene to ductile at lower temperatures, so it can be used in parts that are critical for crash performance and safety.

Conclusion

The use of plastics in electric vehicles seems like an unlikely combination, but manufacturers are already using the material in different ways. The increased use of plastic and new technologies that allow its complete recycling can help make the industry more sustainable in the long run.

Article Submitted By Community Writer

Today's Top Articles:

Scroll to Top