With the advent of the electric car and its batteries, more than ever the argument of recycling has gained importance in the automobile market. If the battery sector still seems to have large margins of progress ahead of it, when we hear about recycling, it is more to offer us downcycling. That is to say, materials that can be recycled, but into other materials or products that lose their primary qualities. As opposed to closed-loop recycling, that is, reusing materials endlessly without losing their quality or properties.. It is precisely with the idea of creating a vehicle that is as recyclable as possible, in a closed loop, that students from the TU/ecomotive department at the University of Eindhoven in Germany have created a new vehicle: the Phoenix.
Fewer materials, no mixing
Like the bird that rises from its ashes, this funny car is made up of a large majority of materials that can be reused in a closed loop endlessly. More precisely at 75%. How is this possible, when we know that the rate currently does not exceed 21% for the entire automobile industry? To achieve this, the students designed the car in several layers: a chassis, a cockpit, a body and an upper window.. Each of them is made of only one material. And this is the difference with our cars, is that the materials are mixed, numerous and are difficult to separate afterwards to be reused. This is where they lose their qualities. Not the Phoenix whose materials can be reused for the same purpose: making cars. Furthermore, the assembly techniques have also been rethought: less than a gram of glue was used for the car!
Another battery management
As an electric car, the Phoenix faces the same battery recycling problem. But here again the students tried to find solutions. In this case, and unlike certain large manufacturers whose batteries are sealed and almost impossible to repair or reuse at the end of their life, two types of batteries have been integrated here: fixed 10 kWh and removable 6.5 kWh.
Removable batteries are intended to only be used over long distances. Allowing the autonomy to be increased by 60%, from 130 to 220 km. But precisely, by using them less, their cells deteriorate less. And therefore last longer. They can also be used to charge electrical devices at home. With their project, the students explain that they want to inspire car manufacturers so that they go beyond their limits on the issue of recycling.