Audi shows just how many car parts can be recycled through its ‘close the loop’ project
Through its joint project, MaterialLoop, Audi is proving you can turn old cars into new ones. The project aims to “close the loop” on materials, such as steel, aluminum, plastic, and glass, recycling them to build new cars and significantly reduce emissions and waste.
Gas-powered cars emit around 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, according to EPA data. However, even before these vehicles reach the road and long after, they are polluting the earth.
Producing aluminum, steel, plastics, and glass can generate significant carbon emissions over time. The IEA estimates direct CO2 emissions from crude steel production is around 1.39 tons of CO2 per ton of steel produced.
Although direct CO2 intensity has fallen slightly over the past few years, the IEA says “substantial cuts” are still needed to get on track with the Net Zero Scenario for zero emissions by 2050.
This has led some automakers, environmentalists, and other policymakers to develop the idea of a circular economy in the auto industry. In other words, recycling old car parts to make new vehicles.
Audi has joined forces with 15 research, recycling, and supplier partners on its “MaterialLoop” project, focusing on saving valuable materials and reusing them for production, which will lower the vehicle’s environmental footprint.
Audi shares findings from its recycled car project
Back in October 2022, Audi says 100 vehicles were dismantled as part of the project. After disassembly, car materials were sorted into groups such as steel, aluminum, plastic, and glass, as the partners tested the reuse of each after recycling.
Findings from the project, according to Automobilwoche, suggest over 85% of the steel and more than 60% of the aluminum from Audi’s end-of-life vehicles can be reused and recycled for future cars.
Audi is using recycled steel to build inner door parts for around 15,000 vehicles at its Ingolstadt press plant in Germany.
The German automaker says it has been gathering knowledge on using recycled automotive glass since last spring in a separate pilot project. Car windows broken beyond repair are smashed into small pieces and melted down. In fact, Audi says the glass is already being used in production for the Q4 e-tron electric SUV (pictured above).
For the first time, Audi has established a process that uses chemical recycling to reuse plastic waste for the series production of the Audi Q8 e-tron.
Electrek’s Take
Several automakers have used the idea of a circular economy in the auto industry as a way to greenwash; Audi seems to be taking a strategic approach and finding promising results.
If Audi can recoup over 85% of its steel and 60% of the aluminum from its vehicles, it would be a huge breakthrough – not only for Audi but also for other Volkswagen brands and the industry as a whole.
Using recycled raw materials would be beneficial all around, with fewer emissions, lower costs, and more resources available. With so many gas-powered vehicles set to retire as the auto industry transition to electric, recycling will become a key factor in securing materials.
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Hyundai is about to launch a new electric SUV in China. With its big debut coming up, Hyundai just dropped a sneak peek, and it looks like it could be the IONIQ 4. Check it out for yourself in the video below.
Is Hyundai teasing the IONIQ 4?
We caught our first glimpse of the new EV model last month after Beijing Hyundai released a few official “spy” photos.
Despite the camouflage, you can see a few design elements, like a light bar across the front, slim LED headlights, and a closed-off grille. At first, it almost looks like a smaller version of the IONIQ 9, Hyundai’s first three-row electric SUV, but with a much sportier, shaped profile.
Beijing Hyundai released a new teaser for the upcoming electric SUV this week. The video shows “a wave of high-end operations” as the vehicle dances across the snow.
The video highlights features like real-time torque control, high-speed cornering, and the SUV’s impressive body control while driving around cones.
Hyundai’s new electric SUV is being called “OE” internally, according to The Korean Car Blog, suggesting it could be an IONIQ model.
All other Hyundai IONIQ EV models were also codenamed with an “E” internally, which is raising speculation that this could be the IONIQ 4.
Like most global OEMs, Hyundai is fighting to compete in an intense Chinese EV market, which is dominated by domestic automakers like BYD.
Hyundai opened its first overseas R&D center last year in China to spearhead its comeback. It will work with local suppliers and tech companies to develop EVs designed for Chinese buyers. The new electric SUV is expected to launch in China later this year, followed by three new energy vehicles, including EVs and EREVs.
Beijing Hyundai will release more information on April 16, with the electric SUV set to “challenge the limit of driving performance.”
What do you think of Hyundai’s new electric SUV? Is this the IONIQ 4? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
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Charge point provider char.gy has secured a £130 million contract to install 6,000 curbside EV chargers for Brighton and Hove City Council (BHCC) – the UK’s largest installation of its kind.
London-based char.gy has also been awarded a 15-year contract to operate and maintain the charging network.
Installing Level 2 chargers curbside, where most drivers in the UK park, will enable more people to take advantage of cheaper charging rates while juicing up their EVs overnight. (charg.gy’s pay as you go night tariff, between midnight and 7 am, is £0.39/kWh, compared to its £0.59/kWh day tariff.)
John Lewis, chief executive of char.gy, said the project is “a huge moment for the UK and its EV ambitions. This partnership alone will empower thousands of residents to confidently make the switch to electric vehicles, knowing they have easy access to chargers.”
Brighton and Hove City Council is among the first to tap into the government’s Local EV Infrastructure (LEVI) Fund, designed to help English local authorities roll out charging solutions for residents without off-street parking. Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood said making EV charging as accessible as possible is “crucial to making the switch to electric a success.”
The UK now has over 75,000 public EV chargers, according to the Department for Transport—and it looks like the country’s on pace to hit its 2030 target. Back in December, the National Audit Office said the rollout is “on track” to meet the DfT’s estimate that at least 300,000 chargers will be needed by the end of the decade.
Read more: Meet the UK’s largest solar + storage EV charging ‘Superhub’
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