SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH MATERIALS LONGEVITY
The Immortal Car Project
Definition
The Immortal Car is a vehicle designed to last beyond the typical lifespan of its owner. Through the use of advanced materials and regular maintenance, it exemplifies unprecedented longevity, redefining sustainability in automotive design.
The Challenge of Longevity in a Thermodynamic World
While creating an "Immortal Car" aligns with sustainable ideals, it is constrained by the laws of thermodynamics. Longevity often demands additional energy inputs. To quantify this, we focus on the overall cost in energy and resources, hypothesizing that the Immortal Car will prove less resource-intensive than a continuous cycle of production and disposal—akin to the philosophical "Ship of Theseus."
Analogy to Everyday Sustainability
High-quality household appliances illustrate this principle:
- A durable vacuum cleaner allows for affordable repairs (10-20% of its price), avoiding unnecessary replacement and waste.
- Conversely, low-cost devices often fail within 5-10 years, with minor faults that are economically impractical to repair, leading to disposal and resource waste.
Why a Car? Why a Jaguar XJ?
To captivate public interest, we chose more emotional object than vauum cleaner—Jaguar flagship model XJ, the platform to study high-end materials longevity while engaging a broader audience.
Our goal is to assess the total life-cycle impact of this car versus similar luxury models priced at £40-60k. This includes evaluating its CO2 footprint and economic feasibility for ordinary users.
Contradictions & Realities
Admittedly, this project challenges preconceived notions of sustainability:
- The Jaguar XJ features a 2.7L diesel engine with consumption of 4-5 gallons per 100 miles.
- While it may not seem eco-friendly, we aim to demonstrate how long-lasting, high-quality materials offset environmental costs.
Follow our journey on Instagram as we transform this Sunday research project into a sustainability case study—all at no cost to the university. Spare parts will come from community support and partnerships with like-minded manufacturers.
Teaching & Outreach
Educational Integration
The Immortal Car is a teaching tool to:
- Enhance Polymer Production coursework with industry site visits.
- Explore cutting-edge technologies in plastics, rubbers, and composites across major European facilities.
Promotion of UCT Programs
We will showcase the Immortal Car at educational fairs to inspire future engineers and scientists, promoting material science programs at UCT.
Scientific Vision
Over 20 years, we aim to:
- Study material degradation of key components like the all-aluminum body, high-tech diesel engine, and automatic transmission.
- Openly share data on aging parts and maintain a real-time CO2 footprint log for the car’s lifetime.
- Compare its operating economy to conventional cars.
Our hypothesis? The car’s durable build—paired with timeless design and superior materials—ensures its mechanical viability far into the future.
Where to See the Immortal Car
Upcoming Events:
- Gaudeamus Fair of Study Programs
- Brno: 19-22 November 2024
- Prague: 21-23 January 2025
Meet the Team
PI: Prof. Ing. Jan Merna, Ph.D. (https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6508-0844)
Scientific Consultants
- Ing. Vítězslav Knotek, Ph.D. (Polymer degradation and automotive applications, ORCID)
- doc. Ing. Tomáš Prošek, Ph.D. (Metal corrosion and automotive metals, https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8840-1869)
- tbc, Glass and ceramics in automotive (ORCID)
Our Partners
With support from these organizations, we bring this vision to life:
- Synthos A.G.
- Miele
- Slavia Pojišťovna
- Automotive Lightning Jihlava
- Osram Automotive
- (Partner for Tires – TBA)
Join Us in Shaping a Sustainable Future!
Do you want to understand the advanced materials behind the Immortal Car? Explore the science of metals, ceramics, glass, plastics, rubbers, and composites with us.
