The 2012 Fisker Karma presents an interesting obstacle for automakers. Until now, cars were produced with polymers, metals and natural materials that may have been recyclable in themselves, but weren’t always particularly good for the enviroment. With so much interest in vehicles that use less energy and oil today, few have looked at the energy and oil it takes to produce a car. Fisker has.
The new Karma is a marvel of engineering. It is a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that uses a turbocharged gasoline engine to charge the lithium-ion batteries that drive the car’s electric motors. Fisker’s commitment to sustainability goes beyond this, though. Inside, the car uses recycled or salvaged materials for trim and componentry. Outside, the car has a slim shape that slices through aerodynamic forces like a hot knife through butter, to overuse an overused phrase. In fact, the leather upholstery is even considered sustainable, even though it isn’t made from leftover motorcycle jackets.
Fisker isn’t the only company using recyclable materials in their cars, though. Aluminum components are generally made from recycled aluminum. Plastics tend to be composites of recycled polymers. With such sustainability already in place, what’s next?
The answer to this question, not surprisingly, is in something as simple as a seat cushion. The Karma, one of the most exclusive luxury cars in the world, uses seat cushions that are made with soy-based plant polymers. While most cars today still use manufactured polymers that use petroleum, soy polymers require no oil to produce and readily break down under the right circumstances. You might even be sleeping on a soy polymer cushion. Some memory foam mattresses today are made of soy polymers.
Not all plastics are recyclable. Unfortunately, many of those plastics are used in building an automobile. While the trend is changing since the cost of using recycled materials has fallen in recent decades, there are many components of cars and trucks that are not renewable and not recyclable.
Using soy based polymers for auto parts that currently use petroleum-based plastics may yet be a few years off, but the Fisker Karma proves beyond a doubt that there may be a day in the near future when cars and trucks will be entirely recyclable, from the tires to the engine, and that it may be more cost effective for manufacturers to buy back their old cars and recycle them rather than using virgin materials.
Sources:
Fisker Automotive: 2012 Fisker Karma: www.fiskerautomotive.com