TU/ecomotive’s newest car, Eterna, was unveiled in July. The car was designed and built in just one year by 30 students. Together they built “the car that lasts a lifetime”. With Eterna, the students want to inspire the auto industry and make it think differently about the development and use of cars. Materials should and can be used more efficiently by dividing the lifecycle of a car into two lifecycles.
After 20 years, most of the materials in a car are still (far) from being depreciated, but the average car heads for the scrap yard. That’s why Eterna consists of a durable bottom for long-term use and an interchangeable top. The bottom consists of long-life components, such as the ladder chassis, batteries and engine, while the interchangeable top consists of shorter-life materials, such as interior fabrics and safety features (e.g. digital side mirrors and cruise control). By separating the top and bottom lifecycles, the optimal lifespan of both lifecycles is utilized. This reduces emissions during the production process by a third.
With this, TU/ecomotive introduces a systems change. For the customer, however, little changes. This is because TU/ecomotive envisions a system of centralized car management and customer leasing. The leasing company ensures that the customer has an up-to-date vehicle: every 5 years small updates are done on the top end and every 20 years the entire top end is replaced, while the durable bottom end remains largely the same.