Analysis and Assessment of Sustainable Materials and Construction Methods with an Emphasis on Circular Economy for a Modern Vehicle Concept

Abstract

Automobiles are one of the biggest culprits of greenhouse gas emissions and a cause of environmental pollution, due to challenges inherent in operation of any facet of fossil power and utilization of non-renewables. It can be explained by the following transition, which is stimulated by the trends towards the decrease in CO2 emissions, energy consumption, and waste generation all through the life cycle of a vehicle. Like the objective of attaining the position of zero emissions, there is the union’s existing climate and energy policy mix in search of environmental equivalents in nearly every industrial domain. To tackle these issues, this thesis investigates combining sustainable materials and advanced production methods in the automotive area concentrating on Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Circular Economy principles. The study centres around the development of the Next Generation Vehicle Concept Zero (NGC – Zero) vehicle, which aims to minimize carbon emissions and resource consumption throughout its lifecycle. Another aspect of the work encompasses the application of novel and sustainable materials including recycled wood materials, silica aerogels and hybrid composites to be employed in car battery insulation and other interior products. This thesis utilises a detailed LCA method co-aligned with ISO 14040 & 14044 to quantify the environmental footprint of these materials across a life cycle basis. This is in terms of assessment on the extraction of raw materials, production of the parts or components, and the total performance during use, and their ultimate disposal or recycling. Finally, the circular economy approach is considered to increase sustainable resource utilisation and minimizing emissions with also the factor of recyclability.