Future of Plastics in the Automotive Industry
The future of plastics in the automotive hardware industry is bound by the necessity for designers to produce cleaner, lighter, safer, and more fuel-efficient vehicles for the future. They have started relying on plastics as the materials of the future. Other reasons why plastics are the most reliable material for the automotive industry include their performance, fuel efficiency, and most important, safety enhancements.
If we talk about the rising business and production of commercial vehicles, half of their bodies are plastics including door assembly and safety systems. The cost of mounting is also replaced by plastics which are easier to handle and deploy. More and more manufacturing companies, nowadays, are discovering alternatives to the use of heavy metals in future automotive. One of the crucial reasons behind this inclination towards plastics is their lightweight which includes certain imperatives and requirements that resultantly reduce the weight and fuel reduction which, in turn, minimises the overall cost of manufacturing in comparison to the use of steel and iron in the production of fuel tanks.
Aggravating problems in the environment direct everyone's attention to it. The entire automotive industry is looking for sustainable substitutes to control the emission of harmful and poisonous greenhouse gases. Hence, modern automotive is made in a way that makes them eco-friendly and safe to ply on roads. They contain 50% plastics which results in 10% weight, causing it to feel light, reasonable in regards to fuel economy, and also reducing the greenhouse gases simultaneously. This move is also inspired by the rising government regulations and restrictions toward fuel efficiency.
The futuristic world is making room for plastics in the automotive. Not only in the cars or vehicles but as per research, there has been a rise in the demand for power train interior and exterior applications and by 2025, there will be an 8.8% growth. Plastics can be the best alternative to steel and iron in power trains owing to their lightweight nature that it reduces their weight and naturally encourages performance, productively, thereby reducing costs. Modifications in durable automotive plastics will expand the use of plastics in them. Overall, plastics look pleasant and soothing as used in the interiors. Plastics are being utilised to address common problems and answer them in exceptional ways. The Automotive Plastics and Polymer Composites Roadmap for Future Mobility is outlining the route forward in independence, connectivity, circularity, electrification, yielded movement, and sustainability.