Project by Students of Carleton University

Overview: 

Luca, shown in Figure 1 below, is a recycled electric car made by 22 students from the Netherlands. It is mostly made out of plastic waste gathered from the ocean, and recycled materials from domestic garbage.

Figure 1: Exterior design of Luca [1]

Figure 2: The Luca car’s frame with the project subtopics labeled [1, modified] 

Vehicles, in general, account for 75 percent of air pollutants [2]. There are several factors causing this pollution. These include: the incomplete combustion that takes place in the car engines and the use of non-biodegradable materials,. The Luca  project that we are researching is attempting to reduce pollutants in order to have a sustainable car [3]. It has an electric motor, replacing the normal gasoline-powered motor which converts electrical energy into mechanical energy, to turn the wheels. It has a regenerative braking system, alongside the traditional frictional braking system, that converts the kinetic energy into electrical potential energy. This electrical energy is then stored in rechargeable batteries [1]. The frame of the tiny yellow prototype vehicle is built of a recycled PET that takes a honeycomb structure. This framework is protected by a "skin" formed of flax fibers soaked with recycled polypropylene derived from ocean plastic waste: a sophisticated and unique composite that, according to researchers, provides astonishing stiffness and endurance [3]. 

References:

[1] “Dutch students build electric car almost entirely from recycled materials,” CBC News, 24-Nov-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/recycled-electric-car-1.5800761 [Accessed: 21-Sep-2021].

[2] L. Brinson & Francisco Guzman, “How much air pollution comes from cars?,” Howstuffworks.com, 29-Aug-2012. [Online]. Available: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/air-pollution-from-cars.htm . [Accessed: 25-Sep-2021].

[3] “Luca[LM1] , a small 100% sustainable electric car,” Plastics-themag.com. [Online]. Available: https://plastics-themag.com/Luca-a-small-100-sustainable-electric-car . [Accessed: 21-Sep-2021].

Greenhouse Gas Emissions (Mark Hamad)

It is now widely known by the public that the combustion (burning) of fossil fuels leads to the pollution of greenhouse gases, and in turn global warming [1]. A greenhouse gas is a gaseous product (most commonly carbon dioxide) that contributes to the greenhouse effect [2]. The rise in temperature that the Earth experiences is due to greenhouse gases trapping energy from the sun in Earth’s atmosphere, as can be seen in Figure 3 [3]. Without any greenhouse effect, the Earth would not be warm enough for humans to live, but as more and more greenhouse gas is added to this ‘blanket’, too much heat is trapped. These gases are produced by combustion, which happens in day-to-day life, like in the engine of a fuel powered car [1]. With about 75% of all air pollution coming from cars [4], it is vital that alternatives that use less or no combustion, such as electric vehicles like the Luca car, start to be more widely used, as it is only a matter of time before Earth becomes too warm to live on [5].

Figure 3: Greenhouse effect causing heat to be trapped in the planet [6, modified]

References

[1]

National Geographic Society, “Global warming,” National Geographic Society, 27-Mar-2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/global-warming/. [Accessed: 12-Nov-2021].

[2]

“Greenhouse gas,” Wikipedia, 07-Nov-2021. [Online]. Available: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenhouse_gas. [Accessed: 12-Nov-2021].

[3]

“Greenhouse gases and the greenhouse effect,” National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. [Online]. Available: https://kids.niehs.nih.gov/topics/natural-world/greenhouse-effect/index.htm. [Accessed: 12-Nov-2021].

[4]

L. Brinson & Francisco Guzman, “How much air pollution comes from cars?,” Howstuffworks.com, 29-Aug-2012. [Online]. Available: https://auto.howstuffworks.com/air-pollution-from-cars.htm . [Accessed: 25-Sep-2021].

[5]

H. Ritchie and M. Roser, “Fossil fuels,” Our World in Data, 28-Nov-2020. [Online]. Available: https://ourworldindata.org/fossil-fuels. [Accessed: 12-Nov-2021].

[6]

J. Staughton, “What makes certain gases greenhouse gases? " science ABC,” Science ABC, 13-Nov-2021. [Online]. Available: https://www.scienceabc.com/nature/what-makes-certain-gases-greenhouse-gasses.html. [Accessed: 15-Nov-2021].

Regenerative Braking Systems (Logain Sayed Ahmed)

In normal vehicles, brakes are solely friction-cases therefore, they convert the kinetic energy of the moving vehicle into wanted heat energy to decelerate the car. All that energy was lost to the environment [1]. Luca uses a regenerative braking system that converts the kinetic energy into electrical potential energy, instead of it being lost as heat energy when braking [2]. This electrical energy is then stored in rechargeable batteries, as shown in Figure 4 below, which therefore increases the range of the electric vehicles [1]. Energy conservation works alongside Faraday’s Law of Induction to explain how energy from braking is converted to chemical energy, which is stored in batteries. Permanent magnets and coils are installed in the wheels of the car, as shown in Figure 4, so that when brakes are applied the circuit is closed and the rotating motion of the wheel generates a current in the coils. The generated current opposes the motion of the wheels allowing the batteries to charge [4]. As a result, no energy is lost, and energy conservation is achieved [3].

Figure 4: Regenerative braking system components in an electric car  [1, modified] 

References

[1]

M. Toll, “Regenerative braking: how it works and is it worth it in small EVs?,” Electrek.co, 24-Apr-2018. [Online]. Available: https://electrek.co/2018/04/24/regenerative-braking-how-it-works/ . [Accessed: 21-Sep-2021].

[2]

“Regenerative braking,” Energyeducation.ca. [Online]. Available: https://energyeducation.ca/encyclopedia/Regenerative_braking . [Accessed: 25-Sep-2021].

[3]

J. McIntosh, How it works: Regenerative braking, Driving. [Online]. Available: https://driving.ca/column/how-it-works/how-it-works-regenerative-braking.  [Accessed: 20-Sep-2021].

[4]

Chan, C.C. Chau, K.T., Modern Electric Vehicle Technology - 7.7 Regenerative Braking Systems. (pp. 227), Oxford University Press.(2001).[E-book]. Retrieved from https://app.knovel.com/hotlink/pdf/id:kt00TW7HN6/modern-electric-vehicle/regenerative-braking [Accessed: September 20, 2021].

Material Choice (Aaranan Sathiendran)

When a vehicle is being designed, a viable material for the frame must be chosen to ensure that the design meets all required criteria such as strength, price, weight, and recyclability [1].  One technical approach that designers can take to help choose a viable material for the car’s frame that meets all required criteria is using Young’s Modulus, a constant unique to every solid material that describes how easily it will stretch or deform when put under stress in a single direction [2].  By using Young’s Modulus, designers can mathematically calculate and compare the modulus value of different materials to determine which is strongest, or use the relationship between the amount of stress a material is put under and the amount by which it changes in length described by Young’s Modulus to create a stress-strain plot.  Using this plot, they can then analyze a given material’s beneficial properties, and determine its viability.  In Luca’s design, the designers chose to make the frame from a “sandwich” of panels made from PET plastic retrieved from the ocean (Young’s Modulus value of 2 - 2.7 GPa) combined with flax fibers (Young’s Modulus value of 58 GPa), and used aluminum from decommissioned spacecraft and aircraft (Young’s Modulus value of 69 GPa) in some parts for additional strength [3, 4].

Figure 5: Structural makeup of Luca’s frame [5, modified] [6, modified]

References

[1]

Systematic approach on materials selection in the automotive industry for making vehicles lighter, safer and more fuel–efficient, Mihai-Paul Todor, Imre Kiss University Politehnica Timisoara, Faculty of Engineering Hunedoara, Romania. [Accessed 24 September 2021].

[2]

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, "Young's Modulus," Encyclopaedia Britannica, 3 July 2019. [Online]. Available: https://www.britannica.com/science/Youngs-modulus. [Accessed 17 October 2021].

[3]

A. Malewar, "Luca concept electric car made from recycled plastic," InceptiveMind, 15 January 2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.inceptivemind.com/luca-concept-electric-car-made-recycled-ocean-plastic/11329/. [Accessed 4 October 2021].

[4]

Engineering ToolBox, “Young’s Modulus, Tensile Strength and Yield Strength Values for some Materials,” 2003. [Online]. Available: https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/young-modulus-d_417.html. [Accessed 14 November 2021].

[5]

C. Randall, "Eindhoven introduces the recycled car Luca," Electrive, 16 January 2020. [Online]. Available:https://www.electrive.com/2020/01/16/eindhoven-introduces-the-recycled-car-luca/. [Accessed 24 September 2021].

[6]

Editorial team, “Meet Luca: an electric car made from recycled waste by students of Eindhoven University,” Silicon Canals, 20 October 2020. [Online]. Available https://siliconcanals.com/news/startups/luca-car-recycled-waste/. [Accessed 24 September 2021].

Using Plastic For Luca’s Car Frame: Benefits And Manufacturing Process (Justin Worthing)

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is the plastic used in Luca’s frame and it is formed through a condensation polymerization reaction[1] pu [2]. PET’s chemical structure is made up of repeating subunits which include aromatic rings, the hexagonal structure shown in Figure 6 [3], which creates a stronger bond similar to a strongman performing a hercules hold in Figure 7. This bonding of the plastic is where the necessary strength to Luca’s frame comes from [3]. PET is also able to mix with other types of fibres to increase its rigidity [4]. In Luca’s design, PET is combined with flax fibres forming a new composite, which helps form an even stronger product, and provides additional support and structure to Luca’s frame [1] pu [4]. Finally, PET has a high strength-to-weight ratio of approximately 110.14  kPa·m3/kg, when structural steel is only 59.87 kPa·m3/kg (the higher the better) [5],[6],[7],[8],[9]. Since PET is strong but weighs less than typical metals used in cars, Luca can accelerate faster and maneuver more efficiently while still maintaining passenger safety [10].

Figure 6: Aromatic ring structure which provides PET with its strength [11]

Figure 7: Strongman performing hercules hold simulating how aromatic rings hold their bonds strongly too[12]

References

[1] “Dutch students build electric car almost entirely from recycled materials,” CBC News, 

24-Nov-2020. [Online]. Available: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/recycled-electric-car1.5800761 [Accessed: 21-Sep-2021].

[2]   “Green Chemistry,” The University of Scranton - A Jesuit University. [Online]. Available: 

https://www.scranton.edu/faculty/cannm/green-chemistry/english/industrialchemistrymodule.shtml . [Accessed: 26-Sep-2021].

[3] “Polyethylene terephthalate,” Encyclopedia Britannica. [Online]. Available: 

https://www.britannica.com/science/polyethylene-terephthalate. [Accessed: 08-Nov-2021]

[4] M. Sönmez, L. Alexandrescu, M. Nituica, M. Georgescu, F. D. Gurau, D. Ficai, A. Ficai, 

R. Trusca, and D. Constantinescu, “Layered composites based on recycled PET/functionalized woven flax fibres,” Proceedings of the 2nd World Congress on Recent Advances in Nanotechnology, p. 1, Apr. 2017.

[5] “Polypropylene” Lenntech Water treatment & purification. [Online]. Available: 

https://www.lenntech.com/polypropylene.htm. [Accessed: 04-Dec-2021].

[6] Creative Mechanisms Staff, “Everything you need to know about the world's most useful plastic (pet and polyester),” Everything you Need to Know About The World's Most Useful Plastic (PET and Polyester), 20-Jun-2016. [Online]. Available: https://www.creativemechanisms.com/blog/everything-about-polyethylene-terephthalate-pet-polyester.  [Accessed: 14-Nov-2021].

[7] “Polyethylene terephthalate,” Wikipedia, 10-Oct-2021. [Online]. Available: 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyethylene_terephthalate. [Accessed: 14-Nov-2021].

[8] Structural Steels, 2004. [Online]. Available: 

https://www.geocentrix.co.uk/help/content/items/steels/structural_steels.htm. [Accessed: 14-Nov-2021].

[9]   “Structural steel,” Structural Steel - an overview | ScienceDirect Topics. [Online]. 

Available: https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/structural-steel. [Accessed: 15-Nov-2021]. 

[10] “Weight has no effect on your car's top speed! Know it all with Jason Cammisa: EP. 09,” 

Hagerty Media. [Online]. Available: https://www.hagerty.com/media/videos/weight-has-no-effect-on-your-cars-top-speed-know-it-all-with-jason-cammisa-ep-09/#:~:text=Adding%20extra%20weight%20to%20your,rolling%20resistance%20and%20aerodynamic%20drag. [Accessed: 08-Nov-2021]. 

[12] “PET,” The Association of Plastic Recyclers. [Online]. Available: 

https://plasticsrecycling.org/pet-design-guidance. [Accessed: 03-Dec-2021]. 

[11] K. A. Boudreaux, “Aromatic Rings,” Molecule Gallery - aromatic rings. [Online]. 

Available: https://www.angelo.edu/faculty/kboudrea/molecule_gallery/04_aromatics/00_aromatics.htm. [Accessed: 03-Dec-2021].