Future Porsche Steerings Could Be Made Out Of Recycled Car Parts

Porsche’s vehicles have some of the best steering out there. Offering a direct and linear response, whilst providing plenty of road feel, it’s often the steering that sets the benchmark for driving enthusiasts out there. Future Porsche steerings, however, may have a different kind of feel, but nothing that is related to its handling. That’s because the German sports car manufacturer is set to introduce more recycled components to its steering wheels.

Whenever a vehicle is recycled, only certain parts can be taken apart. The plastic bumpers, rubber seals, gaskets, metal panels, and the chassis itself are all easily recyclable. But the other stuff, such as the paint, foam, films, and other hard-to-recycle components?

That’s where the automotive shredder comes in. However, this process creates a byproduct called automotive shredder residue (ASR), which is “thermally recycled” according to Porsche. Outside the press release, though, it simply means that ASR is incinerated. Yes, this creates energy, but of course, this is far from being considered a green energy source.

Porshce, along with BASF and BEST Bioenergy and Sustainable Technologies, completed a trial using a recycling process that, for the first time, completely dispenses with fossil-based input and instead uses bio-based raw materials–such as wood chips–in addition to automotive waste. Advanced gasification technology is used to convert plastic waste into synthesis gas at high temperatures.

Within the BASF production network that integrates this synthesis gas, new plastic is produced for component manufacturers–a so-called polyurethane formulation. As part of the pilot project, Porsche experimented with this formulation for new steering wheels.

Porsche says that the raw materials produced from gasification are of comparable quality to conventional raw materials. The resulting products meet the requirements for high-performance plastics and can therefore also be used in safety-relevant components.