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New Plastics and the Automobile
The use of plastics in the automotive industry can be traced back to the industry's infancy, mainly in such items as electrical components and interior fittings. The concept of actually designing vehicles around plastics came much later.
by Jean L. Broge, Assistant Editor
Until 1971, Australians in the Outback did not have to pack a barbecue if they went on a camping trip in their Land Rover. They had discovered that the Land Rover's wire-mesh radiator grille worked just fine for impromptu barbecues. In 1971, Land Rover introduced the Series 3. As many shocked, and then hungry, owners discovered when they tossed their new Series 3 grilles onto the open fire, the grille was made of plastic.
Nearly 30 years later, consumers discovering plastic parts in their vehicles should not be so shocked. The Association of Plastics Manufacturers of Europe (APME) reports that 1.7 million t (1.9 million ton) of plastics were used by the automotive industry in Western Europe in 1997. According to the American Plastics Council (APC), the average 1999 North American car weighed about 1450 kg (3200 lb) and had 117 kg (257 lb) of plastic, which is expected to grow to about 142 kg (313 lb) by 2009. Approximately 1.8 million t (2.0 million ton) of plastics were used on North American cars and light trucks in 1999, and experts predict that amount to increase to about 2.4 million t (2.6 million ton) by 2009.
Information was provided by the American Plastics Council; the Composites Fabricators Association; the Oak Ridge National Laboratory; the Office of Transportation Technologies; the Society of Plastics Engineers; and the U.S. Council for Automotive Research.
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