Greatest impact on auto carbon footprint in early development stage – Rivian exec

TROY, Michigan (ICIS)–The greatest impact on a vehicle’s sustainability and carbon footprint is made in the early stages of product development through concept and design, an executive with US-based electric vehicle (EV) maker Rivian said on Monday.

“Rivian is actively embedding design for sustainability into the product development process,” said Dean Stevenson, senior director of interiors at Rivian.

Part of this is considering the carbon intensity of inputs with an emphasis on recycled or bio-based materials. The company aims to create a sustainable supply chain of suppliers with sustainability ambitions, as well as local suppliers for efficient logistics where possible, he added.

Stevenson spoke at the Plastics in Electric & Autonomous Vehicles Conference (EAV) hosted by the Society of Plastics Engineers (SPE) in Troy, Michigan, US.

Rivian uses life cycle analysis (LCA) in assessing alternative materials in early design stages.

For example, for a certain auto part, in place of a wire and stamped assembly, it used an injection moulded nylon bracket with 50% recycled content which reduced carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent emissions by over 30%, Stevenson pointed out.

The company evaluates both the carbon emissions in manufacturing, and in usage (ex: power savings).

For its rear seat cushion structure, Rivian replaced the traditional tubular and stamped steel structure with an expanded polypropylene (PP) structure, reducing CO2 equivalent emissions by over 30% and reducing vehicle weight by 10kg (22lb), said Stevenson.

The company aims to eventually use fully recycled expanded PP, he added.

Rivian also designed sustainability into its NVH (noise, vibration and harshness) systems, using cotton and 70% recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) instead of the traditional ethylene propylene diene monomer (EPDM). This resulted in 70% lower CO2 equivalent emissions and weight reduction of about 4kg, said the executive.

“We’re willing to pay a cost to get more PCR (post-consumer recycled material) into vehicles, but over time, that will become cost-neutral,” said Stevenson.

In conducting LCAs to determine carbon footprint, Rivian is using data from both the public domain, and from its suppliers, he noted.

Focus article by Joseph Chang

Thumbnail shows an electric vehicle being built by Rivian. Photo by Rivian.