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