Plastics have already made a crucial contribution to the development of transport. We may take them for granted, but in planes, trains, boats and cars, plastics are all around us for our comfort, protection and economy.
The demands of the automotive industry are a challenge for today's
designers. The solution to balancing high performance, competitive pricing, style and reliability with comfort, safety, fuel efficiency and minimal environmental impact, often lies in a new generation of lightweight plastics. This is reflected in the volume of plastics being used in the automotive sector.
Plastics are in the vanguard of new automotive innovation. Take Daimler Benz's SMART car for example; this compact city car is a perfect example of how design innovation made possible with plastics also brings environmental benefits. The car features a range of high-quality thermoplastics parts that bring design flexibility, but more importantly, the light weight of these plastics means that the car uses an average of 4.8 litres of fuel every 100km, and emits less than 120g of CO2 per kilometre! This plastics technology and the development of lightweight fuel cells are typical examples of how plastics material plays an essential role in the future of the automotive sector and energy efficiency.