Automotive Applications of Plastics: Past, Present, and Future

Plastics have increasingly become the premier material of choice in the automotive sector, leading to enhancements in safety, performance, and fuel efficiency. Current legislative and regulatory requirements combined with rising concerns regarding environmental sustainability and fuel economy improvement have led to greater focus on deploying lightweight materials in cars. This chapter gives a brief description of the different parts of a car and properties they are required to possess, along with a list of plastics and composites used in manufacturing them. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the future outlook for the use of sustainable bioplastics and green composites in automobile components where they are not currently used.

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