FEATURE
GOING GREEN Darren Cassey takes a look at some of the car industry’s most eco-friendly advances
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limate change is a hot topic in the car industry and manufacturers are racing to bring electric cars and plug-in hybrids to market to reduce exhaust emissions. But it’s not just the powertrain that’s been the focus. Many manufacturers have also been working to make the whole car-building process more eco-friendly, whether it’s the materials used inside or the production process itself. Here, we take a look at some of the ways that cars are getting greener.
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Mini Strip
The Mini Strip is a one-off concept car built in collaboration with fashion designer Paul Smith. Based on the firm’s Electric Hatch, it prioritises sustainability above all else. Features include a body that hasn’t been painted, except for a film to protect it from corrosion, recycled perspex for the panoramic roof, all but the necessary interior trim removed and cork used throughout. Although the Mini Strip will remain as a concept, the British firm says it can be used as a ‘catalyst for more sustainable use of resources in automotive design’.
Bentley of the future
Bentley is a luxury car firm, and it has made it its mission to make sure the cars it builds in the future are more sustainable. In 2019, it revealed the EXP 100 GT concept car, which is an autonomous electric vehicle. But everything about its construction had sustainability in mind. For example, some of the furnishings used a dyeing process that strives to achieve zero discharge of chemicals into the environment, while others come from a material called Vegea, which uses the by-products of winemaking. It also uses wood from naturally felled trees.
