Sustainable Electric Vehicle Development: The Role of Recyclable Polymers and Composites

The advancement in electric vehicle or EV cars is hence a significant ball towards increase in the low carbon footprint across the world as well as in transport subsector. However, as mentioned earlier, sustainability of electric vehicles does not start and end with the vehicle being emission-free but also the materials used in the manufacturing of the vehicles. Specifically, this paper aims to describe how materials like recyclable polymers and composites can and must play a critical function in furthering more sustainable electric vehicle innovation. Lightweight materials like PET and PP, along with reinforced high-strength composite materials like CFRP and GFRP, would not only lower the weight but also enhance the bulb's durability and fuel efficiency. These materials not only add value to the vehicle by enhancing its performance, but they also conform to the circular economy concept since they enable material recycling and overall, the recovery of used materials for reuse at the end of the vehicle life cycle. The use of these composite materials in the production of EVs also aims at directly eliminating key environmental issues with the conventional automotive materials. Recyclable polymers and composites, due to their lightweight, cause reduced energy utilization during the operation of electrical automobiles, boosting the range of related automobiles. Furthermore, the nature of automotive recyclability reduces the environmental burden associated with automotive waste products by offering extended useful lives that can be reused for further use. The focus of this work is rather the recent developments in the area of formation of recyclable polymer and composite materials, their performance characteristics, and the potential economic effect of incorporating them into car manufacturing. This paper presents various successful and potential issues in relation to the application of reusable polymers and composites in EVs. From this study of existing literature and case, successful implementation problems and future issues are presented in relation to the use of reusable polymers and composites in EVs. The results put in to question the need to continue studying these materials in order to develop better materials that will align with the cheap and better materials needed to foster improvements in the current and future transport system.