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FROM I-PACE TO I-PACE: JAGUAR LAND ROVER GIVES ALUMINIUM A SECOND LIFE

2 April 2019

  • Aluminium from end-of-life vehicles is reformed into new material to build next-generation products
  • Pioneering tests being conducted on early, pre-production Jaguar I-PACE prototypes
  • REALITY project will help Jaguar Land Rover prepare to recycle material from large shared mobility fleets

Whitley, UK, 2nd April 2019:Jaguar Land Rover is developing the next phase of its aluminium closed loop strategy with an innovative recycling initiative to transform the vehicles of today into the cars of tomorrow.

The REALITY project aims to recover aluminium from existing Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles and reform it into a new high-grade aluminium to create new vehicles.

The process is currently being tested on early, pre-production Jaguar I-PACE prototypes which have had their batteries safely removed. These batteries enter into their own second-life process which Jaguar Land Rover is developing while the scrap from the vehicles is sorted into various materials using high-tech sensors by Axion. Once separated, the aluminium scrap is melted and reformed.

When operating at full capacity, REALITY is expected to reduce the CO2 impact of production while reducing the amount of virgin aluminium required to produce vehicles. Jaguar Land Rover has already reduced its global vehicle manufacturing operating CO2 by 46 per cent per vehicle and remains committed to an ongoing decarbonisation process.

The pioneering project,  co-funded by Innovate UK, is helping Jaguar Land Rover extend its closed loop aluminium economy. Between September 2013 and January 2019, around 300,000 tonnes of closed-loop scrap have been processed back into the brand’s lightweight aluminium intensive architecture, across all vehicle lines including XE.

In 2014, Jaguar XE was the first vehicle in the world to use aluminium alloy grade RC5754 for its body panels, which contains up to 75 per cent recycled aluminium. Half of the XE body structure is made of aluminium alloy grades that contain an important amount of recycled aluminium content - made possible by a closed-loop manufacturing system at our UK and Slovakia facilities.

As part of an ACES future, there will be an increased opportunity for recycling through the REALITY project, as Jaguar Land Rover will be able to plan for the retirement of large shared fleets. This will enable the company to engineer closed loop recycling into tight production schedules, as the vehicles can be recovered, de-polluted and shredded en masse – making a viable business case for using the company’s recycled aluminium within its own facilities.

Jaguar Land Rover currently uses 180,000 tonnes of aluminium per year - a small percentage of the 80 million tonnes produced globally each year. It is already one of the most widely recycled materials with 75 per cent of all aluminium ever produced still in circulation.

More than a million cars are crushed every year in the UK and this pioneering project affords us a real opportunity to give some of them a second life. Aluminium is a valuable material and a key component in our manufacturing process and as such we’re committed to ensuring our use of it is as responsible as possible.

Gaëlle Guillaume
Lead Project Manager, REALITY at Jaguar Land Rover

The recycled aluminium is being put through its paces by Brunel University scientists, who have conducted strength tests and graded its purity to ensure it meets the required mechanical standards to be used in body panels right across the Jaguar and Land Rover ranges.

Further information

Closed Loop Economy at Jaguar Land Rover

A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (take-make-waste) in which resources are used for as long as possible and the maximum value is extracted from them whilst in use. Materials and products are then recovered or regenerated at the end of each service life.

At Jaguar Land Rover we are challenging ourselves on anything that delivers value to our business and our customers only once. With the pressure on our natural resources growing, extracting the maximum possible value from every process and material is paramount. We have to ask what is the second- or even third-life opportunity for that material or product? We strive to drive value back into society through efficient, ethical and smart practice.

 

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Notes to Editors

Jaguar Land Rover

Jaguar Land Rover is the UK’s largest automotive manufacturer, built around two iconic British car brands: Land Rover, the world’s leading manufacturer of premium all-wheel-drive vehicles; and Jaguar, one of the world’s premier luxury sports saloon and sports car marques.

At Jaguar Land Rover, we are driven by a desire to deliver class-leading vehicles, which will provide experiences our customers will love, for life. Our products are in demand around the globe. In 2018 Jaguar Land Rover sold 592,708 vehicles in 128 countries.

We support around 260,000 people through our retailer network, suppliers and local businesses. At heart we are a British company, with two major design and engineering sites, three vehicle manufacturing facilities and an engine manufacturing centre in the UK. We also have plants in China, Brazil, India, Austria and Slovakia. 

From 2020 all new Jaguar Land Rover vehicles will offer the option of electrification, giving our customers even more choice. We will introduce a portfolio of electrified products across our model range, embracing fully electric, plug-in hybrid and mild hybrid vehicles as well as continuing to offer the latest diesel and petrol engines.