eco-friendly technology Archives

Your future Ford will have parts made from coffee bean skins!

Ford Motor Company has long been making car parts from discarded materials that can be recycled. In one example, old jeans were used as sound insulation material for the first generation of the Focus. Besides plastic bottles, recycled resins are used for various other parts, supporting the company’s sustainability agenda.

Now, working with McDonald’s in the USA, coffee beans will also be used in vehicle parts such as headlamp housings. Every year, gigantic quantities of coffee chaff – the dried skin of the bean – naturally comes off during the roasting process. Together, Ford and McDonald’s can use a significant portion of that material rather than just throw it away.

The companies found that chaff can be converted into a durable material to reinforce certain vehicle parts. By heating the chaff to high temperatures under low oxygen, mixing it with plastic and other additives and turning it into pellets, the material can be formed into various shapes. . This is the first time Ford has used coffee bean skins to convert into selected vehicle parts.

The chaff composite meets the quality specifications for parts like headlamp housings and other interior and under-bonnet components. The resulting components can be about 20% lighter and require up to 25% less energy during the molding process. Heat properties of the chaff component are significantly better than the currently used material, according to Ford.

McDonald’s is expected to send a significant portion of its coffee chaff in North America to Ford to be incorporated into vehicle parts. This will help Ford as it progresses toward a goal of using recycled and renewable plastics in vehicles globally, with an increasing range of sustainable materials.

“McDonald’s commitment to innovation was impressive to us and matched our own forward-thinking vision and action for sustainability,” said Debbie Mielewski, Ford senior technical leader, sustainability and emerging materials research team. “This has been a priority for Ford for over 20 years, and this is an example of jump starting the closed-loop economy, where different industries work together and exchange materials that otherwise would be side or waste products.”

Planning to buy a Ford vehicle in Malaysia? Visit www.sdacford,com.my for the location of the nearest showroom.

1999 Ford Focus — *First generation of Ford Focus had sound insulation materials made from old jeans.*

Ford uses 1.2 billion plastic bottles for auto parts each year

Hyundai Motor Group begins selling first model with solar roof charging system

The Hyundai Motor Group has launched its first car with a solar roof charging system. It is one of three types of solar roof charging systems the carmaker is developing. This technology will provide vehicles with additional electrical power that can increase fuel efficiency and driving range in hybrids.

The system debuts on the New Sonata Hybrid which is the first mid-sized hybrid sedan in the Korean market with fuel consumption officially rated at over 20 kms/litre. To date, other models in the same segment have achieved 18 kms/litre at best.

The new model also equipped with the world’s first Active Shift Control technology as well as a Smartstream G2.0 GDi HEV engine and 6-speed hybrid transmission. Hyundai’s new model also supports a ‘Digital Key’ function via a dedicated smartphone app.

“Solar roof technology is a good example of how Hyundai Motor is moving towards becoming a clean mobility provider. The technology allows our customers to actively tackle emissions issue,” said Heui Won Yang, Senior Vice-President and head of Body Tech Unit of Hyundai Motor Group.

Adding an extra 1,300 kms annually
The solar roof charging system includes a structure of silicon solar panels that are mounted on the car’s roof. Being able to charge even while driving, the solar roof system can charge 30% to 60% of the battery per day. With 6 hours of daily charging (which can take place while the vehicle is parked), it is expected to increase vehicle travel distance by an extra 1,300 kms annually.

The system is composed of a solar panel and a controller. Electricity is produced when solar energy activates the solar panel’s surface, which converts this energy by using photons of light from the sun. This creates the electron-hole pairs in silicon cells, which generate solar electricity. The electricity from this process is converted to the standard voltage by the controller, then stored in the battery.

Hyundai Motor took not only efficiency but also design into account while developing the charging system. While the solar roof system currently plays a supporting role, it opens up perspectives for vehicles that no longer need fossil fuel to operate, ie pure electric vehicles.

The New Sonata Hybrid has just gone on sale in Korea and will also be available in North America. However, the company says it has no plans to offer it in other markets in the immediate future.

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