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Yes, potatoes. And carrots. But more
realistically, OEMs are turning to
materials that are at the very least
more environmentally sound,
primarily for interior applications.
Things you may very well fnd in your next car: Steel, aluminum,
chrome, hemp, orange peels, recycled plastic bottles, faxseed and
perhaps a dash of reclaimed timber.
Things you might fnd in the vehicle you get after that one: an
instrument panel that could be composted instead of shredded
and seat cushions made with waste CO
2
that makes those captains'
chairs in your minivan something closer to carbon neutral.
A confuence of factors including enhanced performance
benefts, lower technology barriers, green image-making and
consumer interest (if not outright demand) are contributing to
a surge of interior trim and functional part alternatives to petro-
leum-based polymers. Biocomposites (often natural fbers blended
with traditional polymers), recycled post-consumer waste product
materials and "grown" substitutes are fnding their way into more
vehicle programs. Economies of scale are increasing, albeit slowly,
for biocomposites and recycled goods as well, moving from the
premium to the afordable vehicle ranges. The trend, pushed in
large part by OEMs, is creating some strange bedfellows between
auto suppliers and nontraditional Tier 3 companies, some of
which are developing automotive materials for the frst time.
MAKING A
CAR WITH
POTATOES
By SCOTT ANDERSON, Contributing Editor
The instrument panel for the BMW
i3 plug-in hybrid features unpainted
eucalyptus wood trim.