Jaguar I-Pace in aluminium recycling trial

Jaguar Land Rover has launched a new aluminium recycling scheme as part of a drive to reduce wastage and CO2 emissions throughout its entire production process. 

In the Reality Project, aluminium will be recovered from end-of-life vehicles and melted down to be reformed into high-grade material suitable for new model production. 

The manufacturer is currently trialling the new scheme with metal taken from a group of pre-production I-Pace electric SUVs, the batteries of which will also be reconditioned and reused. 

The move comes as part of a company-wide initiative to reduce the CO2 impact of vehicle production and minimise the amount of material wastage that comes from scrapping cars. 

Jaguar Land Rover claims it has “already reduced its global vehicle manufacturing operating CO2 by 46 percent per vehicle and remains committed to an ongoing decarbonisation process”. 

Between September 2013 and January 2019, it reused 300,000 tonnes of scrap metal taken from older vehicles. It currently uses 180,000 tonnes of aluminium every year. 

While many car makers, such as Nissan and Mercedes-Benz, also use recycled aluminium, they do so through outsourced suppliers. If successful, the Reality Project will allow Jaguar Land Rover to plan for the retirement of large shared fleets in-house.

An alloy used in the construction of the original Jaguar XE saloon was composed of 75 percent recycled aluminium, meaning that over half the car's body contained reused material. 

A team of scientists at Brunel University in London are carrying out strength tests on the recycled material to ensure that it can offer the same crash protection as fresh aluminium.