Automotive plastic components have been a vital part of the automotive industry for a long time. According to Car and Driver, plastic has been a part of every type of vehicle, including cars, buses, trains, trucks, boats, and airplanes, since the 1950s. You may not know it, but automotive plastic components make your vehicle more sustainable. Keep reading to learn more.
Increased Green Thumb
Thanks to new advances, plastic car parts can be recycled along with metal and other recyclable parts. It’s easier than ever to recycle plastic automotive parts. Recycling these parts helps to keep parts out of landfills. It can help to reduce pollution and energy costs associated with creating parts from raw materials.
Similarly, more automotive manufacturers are using recycled materials to create new automotive plastic components. This approach offers a closed life cycle approach to creating and disposing of plastic automotive components. Recycling is one of the best ways to reduce stress on the environment.
Better Gas Mileage
Plastic parts can help to improve gas mileage. These parts help reduce a vehicle’s weight, which in turn allows for better fuel economy. The engine has to work less when the vehicle weighs less and burns less fuel. Molded plastic trunks and other body parts reduce the vehicle’s weight significantly without compromising safety. Plastics are helping automotive manufacturers to improve fuel economy and take some of the load off the environment.
Plastic Makes Electric Cars Possible
Keeping the weight down for electric cars is essential because the batteries add quite a bit of weight. Automotive plastic components have been the solution for electric and hybrid car manufacturers when the question has been how to keep weight down.
Improved Part Life Span
Plastic components help to extend part life and vehicle life. Lightweight plastic components put less stress on the engine, but they also put less stress on other parts, like the brake system. Transmission systems can sustain less wear and tear thanks to plastic parts.
Plastic parts help cars last longer, which is better for the environment. Automotive plastic components are helping vehicles become more sustainable transportation in many ways. Call our team at Hansen Plastics today to learn more about plastic components and how they can improve vehicle performance, longevity, and economy. We can’t wait to hear from you!