With a stand displaying automotive parts and components produced using circular economy solutions developed by The Future Is Neutral and its operating subsidiaries, Renault Group wanted to explain to the general public what automotive circular economy means. This refers not only to the recycling of materials from end-of-life vehicles, but also to the reuse of components that are still in working order and the reconditioning or remanufacturing of mechanical and electronic components to extend the life of vehicles.
Remanufacturing parts of electric engines
At ChangeNOW, The Future Is Neutral announced the launch of a range of refurbished parts and components dedicated to electric vehicles, adding to the existing range of reconditioned electronic parts and combustion engines. The owner of an electric vehicle now has the option of replacing a faulty part with a second-hand, reconditioned part for around 30% less than the price of a new part.
Visitors to the show appreciated these practical solutions, as their testimonials attest:
Circular economy solutions at every stage in the car's life cycle
Alongside the decarbonization of the company's activities, the circular economy is the second pillar of the Renault Group's environmental policy. Spearheaded by The Future Is Neutral and its operating subsidiaries, this strategy covers the entire lifecycle of the car: supply, use and end of life. These three phases are illustrated on the Renault stand at ChangeNOW by a long table representing the mathematical abbreviation for infinity.
The Future Is Neutral relies on its subsidiaries Gaia and Boone Comenor Metalimpex for the sourcing secondary primary materials, i.e., from closed-loop recycling, from the automotive industry to the automotive industry. This is a major challenge for the automotive sector, because although a vehicle is 85% recyclable, less than 30% of recycled materials are returned to the production of new cars! Gaia has therefore developed closed-loop recycling of copper, polypropylene and platinoids, the precious metals used in catalytic converters, while Boone Comenor Metalimpex recovers steel and aluminium scrap from industrial production for reuse in the manufacture of automotive parts.
For the use phase of vehicles, the focus is on extending their lifespan through repair and remanufacturing. For the electric vehicle, the focus is on battery repair, a major source of value since a battery - which can be repaired in 99% of cases according to the Expert Battery Repair Centre operated by Gaia - can represent up to 40% of the price of an electric car.
When a vehicle is no longer in use, Indra, leader in the management of end-of-life vehicles, steps in with its 350 processing centers throughout France. Once the vehicles have been dismantled, the parts in working order are sent back to the after-sales service for a second life, and the materials sent for recycling to be reintroduced into the manufacture of new cars, from car to car.
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