Jaguar Land Rover and project REALITY: The Future of Recycling

Jaguar Land Rover, the largest vehicle manufacturer in the UK, made ground-breaking steps in 2008 with the launch of their REALCAR and REALCAR 2 projects, aimed at increasing aluminium recycling rates and reducing carbon emissions.

However, their latest project REALITY is showing early signs of being the most pioneering yet.

So, what has been going on behind the scenes so far…

What is the REALCAR Project?

The REALCAR project began in 2008 and was the first step introduced by Jaguar Land Rover to boost aluminium recycling rates, aiming to boost the amount of recycled aluminium used in vehicle manufacture to 75%, lowering their overall carbon footprint.

This project assisted in the design of a new alloy made from discarded, aluminium scrap; the RivAlloy, which combines the benefits of largely reducing the amount of wasted material and dramatically minimising transport emissions from using UK materials.

REALCAR 2

REALCAR 2, the second wave of the REALCAR project, focused on separation technologies and the “technological shift” needed to change the future of vehicle recycling.

In figures set out by Jaguar Land Rover, the REALCAR programmes have reclaimed more than 75,000 tonnes of aluminium scrap which was then able to be used in the manufacturing of new vehicles.

What is the REALITY Project?

Moving into the final stage of a larger plan, Jaguar Land Rover have announced how their last project will attempt to increase the amount of recycling from ‘end of life’ vehicles to witness a surge in the amount of aluminium coming from scrap:

“Aluminium from other sources, including end-of-life vehicles, can now be graded and ‘born again’ in the manufacture of new cars.”

The REALITY project is scheduled to last for three years and will build on the foundations of the REALCAR projects. REALITY is concerned with enabling and promoting closed loop recycling- a unique system that helps to bring about both financial and environmental benefits.

The REALCAR projects have so-far already received super brain-power from the likes of Brunel University, Novelis and part-funding from Innovate UK:

"Innovate UK is proud of our support for the REALCAR programme, and this exciting latest stage of the project, REALITY, is another excellent example of collaboration between large and small businesses in the supply chain, supporting them to scale up and become more productive. These projects have been a model in terms of professional delivery of complex research and development."

REALITY has now also called upon the help of a new partner- AXION for a specifically designed process tailored to the recycling of aluminium.

If you’re interested in seeing more videos like this, you can subscribe to Innovate UK’s YouTube channel here.

Additionally, you can follow @InnovateUK on Twitter here.

AWDC 4x4 Off-Road event - Kemeys House Farm - 26th March 2017

It's not every day that you get the chance to enjoy the Welsh countryside accompanied by a symphony of spec'd up hardware! Well, not for me anyway...

Apparently, this kind of thing is going on all the time, and the All Wheel Drive Club (http://www.awdc.co.uk/) are the organisation behind a large percentage of it.

Many thanks to all concerned, the competitors and support teams. A most welcoming bunch.

For more of Mike's photos from the day go to our flickr album:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ukmotortalk/albums/72157682695025406

Interview with Scott Dicken, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover UK

Off the beaten track.

Kim Palmer is Public Relations Manager for Land Rover in the UK & on Saturday at the recent Goodwood Festival of Speed we sat down with him in the impressive surroundings of Jaguar Land Rover's expansive stand to shoot the breeze about all things Landie.

Amongst other things, we asked him about new additions to the Land Rover stable as well as the impending putting out to pasture of an old faithful warhorse..

Click here to listen.

photo (c) Land Rover

Hidden in plain sight

Whilst filming for a future project at what is soon to be a peaceful backwater rather than the current bottleneck at Hindhead (watch this space) we chanced upon a mildly-disguised Land Rover Evoque coming the other way.

Its swirly -patterned camouflage paint job was in stark contrast to the shiny, almost production-spec red model we chanced upon a couple of weeks back a few miles up the road in Milford.

Best guess is that shakedown tests are continuing somewhere around here (Chobham's not too far away) as the official release date isn't too far off now.

Anyone else clocked any of Land Rover's new babies tootling around in the South East at all..?

Land Rover Rally - Rural Life Centre, Tilford, Surrey

Can anyone think of a better way to spend a few hours on a Sunday than walking round a collection of Land Rovers, new and old?

OK, I can hear some sarcastic comments so don't answer that....

As regular followers of UKMotorTalk will know, 4x4s, and specifically Land Rovers, have long been my particular area of interest in the motor world... A Ferrari just doesn't have the same appeal to me as a Series 1 Land Rover!

So, a slight drizzle in the air as we arrived at the Rural Life Centre in Tilford in Surrey was not going to dampen my spirits...

Set in the fascinating surroundings of the museum, (well worth a visit any other day!) this fine collection of Land Rovers came from near and far... But, of course, it is not only the cars that we came to see, their owners were also on hand to chat to and share their own stories...

Amongst the early examples was this fine 1948 Series 1 which, as it says, was the second off the production line.

On a purely practical note, having information sheets, such as this one, on each and every Land Rover on display, was great for the casual observer... I realise that to some a 1948 Series 1 will not differ in any great way with a modern Defender (can I hear those sarcastic comments again?), and to have a concise note of age, model and any interesting historical points was really useful.

It wasn't all 60 year old nostalgia of course... We also spent many happy minutes talking to owners of much newer craft.... Freelanders, Range Rovers and Discoverys also being included.

On a very anoraky note, I was pleased to see a Discovery that was probably registered just minutes after my own... Its registration number only differing by a few numbers... Why does this give me a warm feeling??? Answers on a postcard!

All in all a really enjoyable few hours... Even of interest to the most junior member of the UKMT team... Though I will have to encourage him (and his father!) to not refer to all Land Rovers as 'tractors'! The owner of the Overfinch Range Rover would probably NOT be impressed! ;-)

AD

Sites of interest:
http://www.rurallife.plus.com/rlc/
http://csvac.com/