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Olive seeds and coconut fibre: natural raw materials in our cars
Published in Saudi Press Agency on 30 - 12 - 2010


Coconut fibre, wood, cotton -- renewable raw
materials like these are increasingly being used to make components
for cars. A car will never be fit for the compost heap but designers
are turning their attention to eco-friendly materials because they
possess outstanding qualities, according to dpa.
The idea is not entirely new: in 1915 glue made from wheat was
used to assemble the Model T Ford. In 1940 Ford produced a trunk lid
made from soya bean plastic. What is new is the trend towards using
environmentally friendly components in cars.
Fuel consumption plays a role in reducing CO2 emissions but
biodegradable components can also help cut climate-harmful gases and
they also improve a car company's environmental credentials. But some
materials have a very basic appeal for designers: they are simply
very practical.
"Every Renault car contains between 13 and 16 kilograms of natural
fibres," says Fabrice Abraham from the French car maker's material
development department. Cotton, linen, wood, plant oils and natural
rubber are frequently used to make car seats, pipes, interior
decorations and fuel lines.
At luxury car maker Porsche car components made from natural
materials such as the floor covering in the trunk of the Panamera
model. This has the acronym Nawaros, which is short for the German
for renewable raw material, Nachwachsender Rohstoff.
Car maker Mazda has developed what it calls a "biodegradable
plastic" with the aim of reducing the number of car parts made from
hydrocarbons. Mazda's Hybrid RE has biodegradable plastic in its
interior panelling.
Opel is using a lot of flax, according to company spokeswoman
Eveline Weber, to make door coverings in the Astra and Insignia as
well as coverings used in most other Opel models. Wood fibres are
also increasingly being used to replace plastic normally found in
floor coverings.
The next generation Zafira will see India rubber and coconut fibre
replace foam in the car's seating. Mercedes is to use charcoaled
olive seeds in its exhaust filters, according to company spokesman
Dan von Appen.
The reasons for using natural materials to make cars are not only
driven by concerns for the environment. "We want to make our cars
more environmentally friendly -- from production to the recycling
phase," says Renault's Abraham. But it's also about optimising
techniques and economic considerations. Renewable materials are often
better in that regard than products made in factories.
Car designers put very high demands on the renewable materials
they use in their cars. "They have to fulfill the same requirements
as synthetic car parts," says Opel designer Weber. Safety is also
another important consideration. If a natural fibre is too long, and
could pose a danger if it split in a collision, then a synthetic
material will be used instead.
"No compromises are made when it comes to quality," says Miriam
Degott from Toyota. In many instances developers discover that
natural materials are not only better for CO2 emissions but they are
also lighter and stronger.
Although there are many areas where renewable raw materials are
being used they are rarely visible. "In most cases they're covered by
a piece of decoration," says Weber. Leather is the exception.
It's another matter though when it comes to concept cars or show
cars. Chrysler, for example, designed a car with seats made from
soya, Land Rover used biodegradable felt to replace wood finishing
and Renault even used flax to make structural body parts in its 2008
Ondelios concept car.


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