The Prius is noted for being a more ecologically minded car  than the majority of cars on the road, with its high gas mileage, low emissions and hybrid nature.  Now Toyota is taking this idea one step farther by using more environmentally friendly interior components.

Toyota has announced the use of plant-based plastics in its latest Prius that will debut at the Detroit car show.  Plant-derived plastics can be produced either entirely from plants or from a combination plant-petroleum product base.

Toyota calls both types of plant based plastic Ecological Plastic, since both reduce the amount of CO2 over the life of the product.  Using plastics that are partially petroleum-based still cuts down on the use of fossil fuels although not as much as as solely plant-derived plastic would.  Presumably only plant-based plastic would not be suitable for the different interior components of the car.

Ecological Plastic adequately meets the heat-resistance and shock-resistance demands of vehicle interiors through the use of various compounding technologies, such as those allowing molecular-level bonding and homogeneous mixing of plant-derived and petroleum-derived raw materials.

Since 60 percent of interior components will be made from this Ecological Plastic, the durability of this plastic is important.  The plastics that will be used by Toyota are equal in quality and production to pure petroleum-based plastics and are production vehicle appropriate.  Toyota has already used 100 percent plant plastics in its 2003 Japanese car Raum.

Ecological Plastic will be used extensively in the new Prius as the following table illustrates.

*non food based

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Entry was posted on Wednesday, December 31st, 2008 at 4:33 pm under Auto, Green Technology, Science and technology.

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