Circular economy Driving towards zero waste: Nearly zero new materials in car manufacturing by 2035

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Fraunhofer-Institut für Werkzeugmaschinen und Umformtechnik IWU

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In a transformative move towards sustainable mobility, the EU is charting a path for the future of car manufacturing with a vision set for 2035: vehicles crafted almost entirely from recycled or reused materials. Spearheaded by the Fraunhofer IWU and supported by a consortium of 28 partners, including leading automakers, the ambitious Zevra project is pioneering the Circular Car Concept.

By 2035, the EU aims for new vehicles to be manufactured almost entirely of recycled, refurbished, repurposed, repaired, or reused parts, with the share of new raw materials needed for car production approaching zero. The result will be over 1.5 tons of material per vehicle saved. Of course, from 2035 on, new cars will still have to meet all crash safety requirements and satisfy customer expectations regarding quality. Under the leadership of Fraunhofer IWU, a consortium of 28 European partners, including five automakers (OEMs), is now showcasing pathways towards a consistently resource-efficient production in the EU project Zevra. The partners aim to develop a virtual Circular Car Concept based on a popular Skoda model; for demonstration purposes, they will assemble a vehicle with parts made from recycled materials that comply with the principles of the circular economy.

Starting in 2035, operating a new vehicle in the EU may no longer cause CO₂ emissions. From today’s perspective, most new cars will then be battery-electric. However, producing battery-electric vehicles means significantly higher CO₂ emissions when compared to manufacturing cars with internal combustion engines. As battery-electric vehicles should have no worsening overall impact on climate, it is crucial to consider the entire value chain, from material provision and manufacturing to end-of-life processes. To this end, Zevra will develop a methodology for Design for Circularity and a holistic circularity assessment. Zevra will concentrate on relevant materials covering more than 84 percent of the material mix of a typical electric vehicle: steel, aluminum (rolled, cast, and foamed), thermoplastic composites, plastics, glass, tyres, and rare earths. The solutions to be developed will require support from a range of digital tools to ensure circularity, traceability, and the virtual integration of components into a fully reproducible vehicle. Thanks to Zevra, the CO₂ footprint per vehicle will decrease by at least 25 percent in the future.

Make new parts from old ones

A 100 percent reuse rate for numerous materials like steel and all aluminium alloys in rolled, cast, and aluminium foam parts: This is what the goal of manufacturing a substantial number of vehicle parts without new raw materials means. Even for new tires, almost exclusively secondary raw materials are to be used, including for the tread. Design for Circularity, i.e., considering reprocessing criteria as early as in the phase of developing new parts, makes the most significant contribution to a sustainable environmental and carbon balance.

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