Page 24 - Platics News June 2022

INSIGHTS

Engineering Plastics In Automobiles Will Lead e Growth

Polypropylene demand will continue to grow as it nds new applications in car interior and exterior, and under the
hood replacing some metal parts. In addition, growth will also be spurred by increased production of EVs.
Plastics o er unlimited potential to en- e role of plastic in the design and automobiles comes from four polymers:
gineering. ey are so special because manufacturing of automotive vehicles polypropylene, polyurethane, polyam-
they contribute signi cantly to our qual- has never been more essential, with ides and PVC.
ity of life wherever they are used. is is stringent regulations and changing Plastic has become one of the key ma-
particularly true for plastic in cars: with consumer habits driving demand for terials required for the structure, per-
their versatile properties and numerous more a ordable, lightweight, and fuel- formance, and safety of automobiles
application possibilities, they make to- e cient vehicles. Fuel e ciency has in recent years, with growth in plastic
consumption being driven by
light weighting trends for fuel
e ciency and consequently
lower greenhouse gas emis-
sions. e high absorption
properties of plastics also al-
low the vehicle to meet stricter
safety standards, while the
use of engineering plastics al-
lows for minimization of the
mass of parts used in vehicles
as they o er more design free-
dom compared to metals.

Impact of Electric Vehicles on
Polymer Consumption

day’s mobility more e cient and safer, become one of the most important fea- e emergence and rapid growth of elec-
more comfortable and more beautiful. tures in automotive vehicle design due trically-powered road vehicles have be-
Alternative powertrains, lightweight to the rising fuel prices and stricter envi- come a key issue for consideration when
construction, emission reduction, de- ronmental regulations. is, combined assessing the automotive outlook and for
sign exibility, driver assistance systems. with high demand for automotive vehi- resulting polymer demand. While the
ese are some of the trends that are cles as well as rising disposable income overall number of electric vehicles (EVs)
driving almost every professional in the in emerging economies will continue to remains at a low level on a global scale,
industry drive demand for plastics in the auto- vehicle eet electri cation has gained
motive industry. However, while some signi cant momentum in recent years,
More than 70% of the plastic used in
automobiles comes from four polymers: materials may win from recent changes supported by regulatory incentives,
in the automotive industry, others will changing consumer perception, and the
polypropylene, polyurethane, polyam-
ides and PVC. e styrene gives the nd themselves on the losing side, spell- development of large numbers of a ord-
ing serious implications for plastic pro- able electric models by the auto indus-
plastic a shiny, impervious surface. e
butadiene, a rubbery substance, provides ducers globally and in the GCC. try. Despite the growth trend for electric
vehicles, automobiles that are powered
resilience even at low temperatures. A Currently, there are about 30,000 parts
variety of modi cations can be made to in a vehicle, out of which one third are by Internal Combustion Engines (ICE)
will remain a signi cant proportion of
improve impact resistance, toughness, made of plastic. In total, about 39 dif-
and heat resistance. It nds application ferent types of basic plastics and poly- the vehicle eet, with polymer innova-
tion driven by increasing fuel e ciency.
in automotive body parts, dashboards, mers are used to make an automobile.
wheel covers, etc. More than 70% of the plastic used in e EV vehicle design is not radically

24 PLASTICS NEWS June 2022