Renewable Materials In Vehicles

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Renewable Materials In Vehicles

The notion of building usable domestic items out of renewable materials is a timeless aspect of human culture, but thanks to a contemporary emphasis on recycling, such behaviour is no longer scorned at. The motor industry in particular has taken this green focus very seriously, an ethos which can be seen clearly reflected by manufacturers such as Ford, Volkswagen and Nissan.

Take the 2011 Ford Explorer for example; while not as green as the hybrid and electric vehicles available at Green Motion, it still makes an interesting case for deconstruction. When launched, the SUV was said to be 85% recyclable with it's interior fitting consisting of 25% recycled fibre. Furthermore, around the same time a rather curious news story emerged about a New York based start up business looking to build car parts from... mushrooms.

The business went into collaboration with Ford early on with an aim to develop “fungus based” biodegradable foam from the mushrooms which could then be manufactured into car bumpers, side doors and dashboards. The business are still around today and you can take a look at the staggering efforts of Ecovative Design here. The“mushroom mycelium” used to grow the car materials is a naturally digesting crop waste which can be (bizarrely) used in the most productive of manufacturing efforts.

The Nissan LEAF is also the product of 25% recyclable material, with discarded cloth used to construct its deadening panels as well as recycled plastic drinks bottles forming the basis of it's wonderful upholstery.

What are your hopes for the future of car production? More recyclable mass? Less fossil fuel? More affordable vehicles?

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