Sustainable car from which four times more material can be reused in new cars
October 11, 2024 – On 11th October, the student team TU/ecomotive from Eindhoven University of Technology unveiled the Phoenix, a sustainable electric car designed for optimal recyclability. By using monomaterial structures and smart assembly methods, up to 75 % of the vehicle can be reused in new cars. This marks a significant improvement over the current closed-loop recycling rate of just 21% in the European automotive industry.
Closed-loop recycling, where materials can be endlessly reused without quality loss, differs from downcycling, where recycled materials are turned into lower-quality products. Although 88% of materials from cars are recycled, downcycling often leads to quality degradation, causing valuable materials to leave the sector. The Phoenix aims to address this issue and set a new standard for a circular economy where valuable materials are preserved. Through clever design choices, the recycling process becomes more efficient, and material quality deteriorates less rapidly after reuse.