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72<br />
The car<br />
industry’s most<br />
eco-friendly<br />
advancements<br />
Climate change is a hot topic in the car industry and<br />
manufacturers are racing to bring electric cars and plugin<br />
hybrids to market to reduce tailpipe emissions.<br />
But it’s not just the powertrain that’s been the focus. Many<br />
manufacturers have been working to make the whole<br />
car-building process more eco-friendly, whether it’s the<br />
materials used inside or the production process itself.<br />
Here, we take a look at some of the ways cars are getting<br />
greener.<br />
Mini <strong>St</strong>rip<br />
The Mini <strong>St</strong>rip is a one-off concept car built in collaboration<br />
with fashion designer Paul Smith. Based on the firm’s<br />
Electric Hatch, it prioritises sustainability above all else.<br />
Features include a body that has not been painted, except<br />
for a film to protect it from corrosion, recycled Perspex for<br />
the panoramic roof, all but the necessary interior trim<br />
removed, and cork used throughout.<br />
Though the Mini <strong>St</strong>rip will remain as a concept, the British<br />
firm says it can be used as a “catalyst for more sustainable<br />
use of resources in automotive design”.<br />
Synthetic fuel<br />
Although electric vehicles are considered the future, there<br />
are some alternatives being worked on. One example<br />
is hydrogen cars, but a less talked-about alternative is<br />
synthetic fuel.<br />
Also known as e-Fuels, they are essentially no different<br />
from the petrol and diesel that comes from crude oil,<br />
but they are instead produced from carbon dioxide and<br />
hydrogen using renewable energy.<br />
Porsche and Siemens are two big companies working<br />
together on this technology. Although they admit that<br />
currently it is more efficient to use that renewable energy<br />
to charge an electric vehicle, e-Fuels are a sustainable way<br />
to fuel the millions of petrol and diesel vehicles currently<br />
on the world’s roads.<br />
Volvo’s wool interiors<br />
Volvo has been one of the manufacturers most<br />
committed to electrifying its line-up, but it’s also focused<br />
on sustainability elsewhere. We’ve become used to seeing<br />
synthetic or ‘vegan’ leather alternatives from a variety of<br />
manufacturers, but Volvo offers a unique<br />
wool upholstery.<br />
It’s a blend that’s 30 per cent wool and 70<br />
per cent recycled polyester, available as a no<br />
cost extra on some of the firm’s vehicles.<br />
Seaqual Yarn<br />
Volvo isn’t the only manufacturer<br />
experimenting with interesting eco<br />
materials. Last year, Fiat became the first<br />
manufacturer to use Seaqual yarn for its seat<br />
upholstery, with the Cupra Born’s bucket<br />
seats also using the material.<br />
Seaqual is an initiative based in Italy that
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