TU/ecomotive: The Innovators Behind Phoenix – A Pioneering Recyclable Car

Explore how one student team is pushing the boundaries of innovation. Meet TU/ecomotive, a forward-thinking team from Eindhoven University of Technology dedicated to redefining how we build cars. Their latest concept car, Phoenix, is designed to showcase a vehicle that prioritizes recyclability without compromising quality.

At Rematec, TU/ecomotive is bringing Phoenix to the stage, offering industry experts a glimpse into a future where cars are built with sustainability at their core. In this interview, the team shares their journey, insights into the development process, and their vision for how circular design could shape the future of mobility.

Can you introduce yourself/ the team and tell us a bit about the project and how it all started?

We are TU/ecomotive, a student team from Eindhoven University of Technology that strives to push the automotive industry to be more sustainable. We started 10 years ago as part of the Shell Eco Marathon, however, after 3 years we decided that we could do more. Every year our team builds new sustainable concept cars, trying to showcase different sustainable ideas to inspire the automotive industry. At the event we will showcase our concept car from last year – Phoenix. Phoenix is a car that focuses on circular economy. Using mono-material approach and a layered design Phoenix allows for easy disassembly and recycling without contaminating and degrading the quality of its materials.

Can you take us into the development process and how does the car contribute to circular economy?

Our team cycle is in line with the academic year. Every year a new iteration of the team starts in September with concepting. Our design phase continues until February, at which point we begin the manufacturing stage. With help from our partners, we manufacture the chassis and certain components, while buying some components of the shelf. After finishing the car in July/August, the team goes on tour around multiple countries. During the tour we visit car companies, universities and public spaces where we show our project and spread the knowledge we gained during the year.

Phoenix is a car that is centered around circularity. During our tour we visited the Volvo headquarters, where we showcased and gave a talk about Phoenix, in addition to visiting numerous events throughout the year. This way TU/ecomotive raises awareness about the issues in the automotive industry and shows how we could build cars that are better for the environment.

What are you most excited about to show your project at Rematec, and will we see the technique and your gained knowledge on recyclable cars  in the development of the automotive industry in the next few years? How will this impact the future of cars?

We are excited to show Phoenix to industry experts and people with passion for sustainability. We hope this will help our mission to spread the message and educate the public about the possibilities for sustainable vehicles. It is hard to predict whether the automotive industry will adopt the techniques used in production of Phoenix in the near future. However, we have seen this happen with our previous cars, and we hope that with time, improvement in manufacturing techniques, and a shift in the legislation, the automotive industry will adopt more sustainable techniques.

What is your goal for this car? And when do you expect to achieve it?

The goal for each of our cars is to demonstrate how a specific sustainable feature can be implemented in a vehicle. Our team strives to make every project unique and show a different aspect of sustainability with every new car that we build. We hope that by showing so many sides of sustainability and creating tangible cars that implement these concepts we can make a real difference and promote sustainability in the automotive industry.