Currently, the circular economy allows recycling up to 95% of the total parts used in the manufacture of a vehicle. Electrification and the challenges it faces indicate that the demand for recovered parts will grow significantly in the future.
Little by little, the automotive industry advances in its restructuring plan towards an electric future and sustainable. And it is not an easy transition, since the technological challenges are joined by the financial, energy and supply difficulties caused in the last two years.
For that reason, the circular economy takes center stage unusual in the automotive industry, since the effects of the pandemic, the scarcity of raw materials and microchips, the transport crisis and social awareness force effective recycling and responsible use of available resources.
Car brands react
The car manufacturers They are aware of all this and several of them have already launched measures and programs to promote the circular economy.
For example, Renault has launched Refactory, a project linked to the circular economy; meanwhile, Ford has teamed up with HP to extend the life of 3D printed parts. Audi has also admitted to studying how to reduce its environmental footprint, while Hyundai has created the VIVe plan, the first 100% electric car sharing service for rural areas in Spain.
“All these actions show that sustainability has become an essential part of their corporate culture”, explains Jan Amat, co-founder of Recomotor, the first distributor of recovered parts for workshops and automotive professionals. And add that “Beyond these initiatives, the recycling and reuse of components will be key to achieving the ambitious environmental plans”.
In this sense, and according to a study by Capgemini, 52% of companies have implemented plans to support and promote the circular economy, the most implemented sustainability initiative. However, much remains to be done to realize its full potential.
A sector traditionally suitable for the circular economy
The truth is that the automotive sector has a long history of recycling, remanufacturing and reusing components. In fact, today and according to Recomotor figures, “The circular economy already makes it possible to recover up to 95% of the parts of a car, reusing them in industry or allocating them to other purposes”.
In addition, Recomotor highlights that the European Union has set an expiration date on new combustion vehicles, which cannot be sold in the Old Continent after 2035.
“This will cause an increase in the prices of electric cars and a rise in the average age of the Spanish car fleet.which in turn will generate a need for reused parts and a 30% increase in the demand for this type of part, with these transactions outnumbering new sales of this type of vehicle in 2040″, anticipates the Catalan company .
There is still a way to go
It is clear that the future of the commercial automotive industry is the electric car, either by natural evolution or by political imposition. But it is also true that the ideal conditions for a definitive implementation of electrified mobility are far from being a reality.
Although technology evolves at great speed and autonomy is less and less of a problem, others such as a reliable and extensive recharging network or prices that allow the democratization of the electric car They are still a big unfinished business.
In this last aspect, the circular economy and recycling have a lot to say, since they allow a notable reduction in costs. It will be enough?
Photos: Freepik