(Newswire.net — October 18, 2013) Anaheim, CA — Over the past few decades, plastics have complimented both the exteriors and interiors of the cars we drive. Plastic have been the key to the luxury, comfort, and style we enjoy in our transportation today. Plastics in automobiles make up over half the car’s components and only 10 percent of the weight. They enable engineers to find ways to cut costs and cut weight while at the same time maximizing the performance of vehicles.
Recently GM has launched a new campaign entitled “gumball machine,” featuring Will Ferrell’s character Ron Burgundy from Anchorman endorsing the 2014 GM Dodge Durango. The focus of commercial is not the price, look or performance. It focuses on the glove box. “I’m the only one that has the guts to tell you about this glove box, .1 cubic feet of storage, 12V Light bulb, all in beautiful injection molded thermoplastic olefin”’. In true Ron Burgundy fashion–the genius of the commercial is that it is clever, informative and not to be taken too seriously.
Companies like DuPont have focused on several aspects in the evolution of cars. From safety to engine efficiency, DuPont scientists are developing sustainable products using plastics, like ethylene acrylic elastomers and automotive sealing applications, under the hood. Also noteworthy — The DuPont Chemical Company has provided some of world’s leading automotive color choices with its White/white pearl as the fastest growing color of 2011.
In 1941, Henry Ford and Ford Auto Company developed a concept car known as the soybean car which used ethanol derived from hemp or alcohol. Even back then the concept of building a lighter and eco-friendly car in order to maximize fuel efficiency was vital. Ford made the decision to make a plastic automobile, the plastic car made from soybeans. Three main reasons for the research on the plastic car were:
- It integrated the agriculture and industry
- The company claimed that this plastic made these cars safer than metal cars
- Ford wished to make his new plastic material a replacement for the metals used in normal cars.
The outbreak of World War II suspended all auto production, and therefore killed the plastic car experiment.
Today plastics make cars safer to drive, more reliable, durable, lightweight, and fuel efficient which translates into more savings for consumers. The use of plastic components that are either molded or machined from plastic sheets or plastic rods, increase cars durability. A good example would be some of the gears in the drive train that are made of Dupont Delrin or Acetal. These gears help reduce noise, improve durability, and cut total drive costs by one-third when compared with the original design.
Henry Ford once said “The man who will use his skill and constructive imagination to see how much he can give for a dollar, instead of how little he can give for a dollar, is bound to succeed.”
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