Post on 02-Jan-2016
Life Cycle of an Automobile
Design
• An automobile begins its life in the design process
• There are usually 13 different aspects of engineering
• Time and resources can vary
Materials
• Over 30 raw materials are used in the components of each car produced
• Metals, petroleum-based plastics, and other minerals
• e.g. Aluminum (used in body), Sulfur (battery), Silicon (ceramic components)
• Retrieved from various places around the world
Manufacturing
• 73,266,061 cars were manufactured worldwide in 2007
• Toyota, GM, and Volkswagen are top manufacturers
Sales and distribution
• The cars are transported from factories to dealers
• The majority of cars bought in the U.S. are produced across seas
• Leading countries include China, Japan, and Germany
Consumer Use
• In the US, the average annual mileage per car is nearly 12,000
• Average lifespan: 145,000 miles or 13 years• Average fuel efficiency: 22.6 mpg (as of 2008)• Emit carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide,
nitrogen oxides
Disposal
• About 98% of metal in each car is recycled• Various types of plastics can be recycled, but
many are incinerated• Over 90% of batteries are recycled• About 60% of tire material is recycled or
reused for different purposes