Eindhoven students' modular car extends vehicle life, cuts CO2 emissions by third

Eindhoven University of Technology’s student team TU/ecomotive has designed a modular car that can extend passenger cars’ lifetime and cut CO2 emissions from car production by a third. The Eterna is two separate parts with two separate life cycles, so the part that deteriorates faster can get replaced without scrapping parts that are still in good shape.

In the Netherlands, the average car goes to the scrapyard after just under 20 years. But most of the materials in a car are still far from being depreciated after that time, the students said. By not recycling car parts before the end of their life cycle, the CO2 emissions during the overall production process can be cut by about a third. According to the students, Eterna saves 20 tons of CO2 in total production compared to the average car.

“The earth does not offer unlimited resources, so more efficient use of materials is the solution,” team manager Stijn Plekkenpol said. “If we start to see cars no longer as one entity, but as two separate life cycles, that is actually a system change.”

Eterna consists of a bottom for long-term use and a replaceable top. The bottom includes long-life components like the ladder frame chassis and the motor. The top includes materials with a shorter lifespan, like safety features and interior fabrics.

“TU/ecomotive envisions a system where cars are managed centrally, and the consumer can lease a vehicle. The leasing company ensures that the consumer has an ‘up-to-date’ vehicle; every 5 years, small updates are made in the top end. Every 20 years, the entire top end is replaced. While the bottom remains largely the same. In other words, a subscription model.”

The team will take the Eterna on tour from mid-August to show off their concept in several countries, including Germany, Belgium, and Italy. They hope to inspire the automotive industry to think differently about how they use materials.