BK
B.G. Kastelein
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Circular Car Door of 2040 for Renault
A System-and Product-Level Exploration of Circular Automotive Design for Renault in 2040
This project investigates how Renault Group (RG) can integrate higher levels of circularity into future vehicle programs by designing a circular car door for the mobility context of 2040. Using the car door as a use case, the project explores how system‑level circular infrastructures and product‑level design strategies can work together to extend component lifetimes, reduce environmental impact, and improve value recovery for RG.
The project begins with an evaluation of RG’s current circular practices within The Future is NEUTRAL ecosystem. While RG already leads the European automotive sector with initiatives in repair, remanufacture and material recycling, today’s system remains limited by mixed‑material components, irreversible connections, and economically constrained disassembly processes. These constraints originate primarily in the design phase, highlighting the need for more attention to circularity during the design process.
To understand how circularity may evolve, three future scenarios for 2040 were developed. These scenarios explore how geopolitical, technological and societal developments influence mobility systems and circular infrastructures. The “Mobility in a Bright Future” scenario was selected as the design context because it provides the greatest potential to demonstrate the application of higher R‑strategies within a shared‑mobility ecosystem.
A detailed analysis of current car doors revealed issues that limit repairability and material recovery: complex disassembly sequences, incompatible plastics, and extensive use of non‑reversible connections. These insights informed the basis of a set of circularity requirements used later in the design phase.
A shared vehicle system was envisioned, which includes a micro-EV, the vehicle for which the car door was designed. A circular system architecture was then developed for the 2040 scenario, centred around local, distributed facilities, named Vehicle Lifecycle Centres, capable of performing on‑site repairs, module swaps, remanufacturing and high‑quality material sorting. Modularity, standardisation and regionalised material loops form the backbone of this future circular ecosystem.
The resulting concept is a highly modular car door organised into a three‑module architecture with identical frames, shallow disassembly trees, reversible connections, interchangeable components, and mono‑material components. The door is designed for fast on‑site repair, improved material purity at end‑of‑life, lower operational downtime in shared fleets, and reduced manufacturing complexity. The concept demonstrates how circularity may materialise in a future that prioritises reducing emissions and resource consumption.
Overall, this project illustrates that meaningful circular innovation does not necessarily come from adding complexity or technology. Instead, it comes from rethinking product architecture, designing for long-term use, and ensuring that parts remain valuable across multiple lifecycles. The insights generated during the development of this project, through interactions with the designers and engineers at RG, were gathered to inform how RG can strengthen its circular design capabilities. This project supports RG’s long‑term ambitions for a fully circular automotive ecosystem.
...
The project begins with an evaluation of RG’s current circular practices within The Future is NEUTRAL ecosystem. While RG already leads the European automotive sector with initiatives in repair, remanufacture and material recycling, today’s system remains limited by mixed‑material components, irreversible connections, and economically constrained disassembly processes. These constraints originate primarily in the design phase, highlighting the need for more attention to circularity during the design process.
To understand how circularity may evolve, three future scenarios for 2040 were developed. These scenarios explore how geopolitical, technological and societal developments influence mobility systems and circular infrastructures. The “Mobility in a Bright Future” scenario was selected as the design context because it provides the greatest potential to demonstrate the application of higher R‑strategies within a shared‑mobility ecosystem.
A detailed analysis of current car doors revealed issues that limit repairability and material recovery: complex disassembly sequences, incompatible plastics, and extensive use of non‑reversible connections. These insights informed the basis of a set of circularity requirements used later in the design phase.
A shared vehicle system was envisioned, which includes a micro-EV, the vehicle for which the car door was designed. A circular system architecture was then developed for the 2040 scenario, centred around local, distributed facilities, named Vehicle Lifecycle Centres, capable of performing on‑site repairs, module swaps, remanufacturing and high‑quality material sorting. Modularity, standardisation and regionalised material loops form the backbone of this future circular ecosystem.
The resulting concept is a highly modular car door organised into a three‑module architecture with identical frames, shallow disassembly trees, reversible connections, interchangeable components, and mono‑material components. The door is designed for fast on‑site repair, improved material purity at end‑of‑life, lower operational downtime in shared fleets, and reduced manufacturing complexity. The concept demonstrates how circularity may materialise in a future that prioritises reducing emissions and resource consumption.
Overall, this project illustrates that meaningful circular innovation does not necessarily come from adding complexity or technology. Instead, it comes from rethinking product architecture, designing for long-term use, and ensuring that parts remain valuable across multiple lifecycles. The insights generated during the development of this project, through interactions with the designers and engineers at RG, were gathered to inform how RG can strengthen its circular design capabilities. This project supports RG’s long‑term ambitions for a fully circular automotive ecosystem.
...
This project investigates how Renault Group (RG) can integrate higher levels of circularity into future vehicle programs by designing a circular car door for the mobility context of 2040. Using the car door as a use case, the project explores how system‑level circular infrastructures and product‑level design strategies can work together to extend component lifetimes, reduce environmental impact, and improve value recovery for RG.
The project begins with an evaluation of RG’s current circular practices within The Future is NEUTRAL ecosystem. While RG already leads the European automotive sector with initiatives in repair, remanufacture and material recycling, today’s system remains limited by mixed‑material components, irreversible connections, and economically constrained disassembly processes. These constraints originate primarily in the design phase, highlighting the need for more attention to circularity during the design process.
To understand how circularity may evolve, three future scenarios for 2040 were developed. These scenarios explore how geopolitical, technological and societal developments influence mobility systems and circular infrastructures. The “Mobility in a Bright Future” scenario was selected as the design context because it provides the greatest potential to demonstrate the application of higher R‑strategies within a shared‑mobility ecosystem.
A detailed analysis of current car doors revealed issues that limit repairability and material recovery: complex disassembly sequences, incompatible plastics, and extensive use of non‑reversible connections. These insights informed the basis of a set of circularity requirements used later in the design phase.
A shared vehicle system was envisioned, which includes a micro-EV, the vehicle for which the car door was designed. A circular system architecture was then developed for the 2040 scenario, centred around local, distributed facilities, named Vehicle Lifecycle Centres, capable of performing on‑site repairs, module swaps, remanufacturing and high‑quality material sorting. Modularity, standardisation and regionalised material loops form the backbone of this future circular ecosystem.
The resulting concept is a highly modular car door organised into a three‑module architecture with identical frames, shallow disassembly trees, reversible connections, interchangeable components, and mono‑material components. The door is designed for fast on‑site repair, improved material purity at end‑of‑life, lower operational downtime in shared fleets, and reduced manufacturing complexity. The concept demonstrates how circularity may materialise in a future that prioritises reducing emissions and resource consumption.
Overall, this project illustrates that meaningful circular innovation does not necessarily come from adding complexity or technology. Instead, it comes from rethinking product architecture, designing for long-term use, and ensuring that parts remain valuable across multiple lifecycles. The insights generated during the development of this project, through interactions with the designers and engineers at RG, were gathered to inform how RG can strengthen its circular design capabilities. This project supports RG’s long‑term ambitions for a fully circular automotive ecosystem.
The project begins with an evaluation of RG’s current circular practices within The Future is NEUTRAL ecosystem. While RG already leads the European automotive sector with initiatives in repair, remanufacture and material recycling, today’s system remains limited by mixed‑material components, irreversible connections, and economically constrained disassembly processes. These constraints originate primarily in the design phase, highlighting the need for more attention to circularity during the design process.
To understand how circularity may evolve, three future scenarios for 2040 were developed. These scenarios explore how geopolitical, technological and societal developments influence mobility systems and circular infrastructures. The “Mobility in a Bright Future” scenario was selected as the design context because it provides the greatest potential to demonstrate the application of higher R‑strategies within a shared‑mobility ecosystem.
A detailed analysis of current car doors revealed issues that limit repairability and material recovery: complex disassembly sequences, incompatible plastics, and extensive use of non‑reversible connections. These insights informed the basis of a set of circularity requirements used later in the design phase.
A shared vehicle system was envisioned, which includes a micro-EV, the vehicle for which the car door was designed. A circular system architecture was then developed for the 2040 scenario, centred around local, distributed facilities, named Vehicle Lifecycle Centres, capable of performing on‑site repairs, module swaps, remanufacturing and high‑quality material sorting. Modularity, standardisation and regionalised material loops form the backbone of this future circular ecosystem.
The resulting concept is a highly modular car door organised into a three‑module architecture with identical frames, shallow disassembly trees, reversible connections, interchangeable components, and mono‑material components. The door is designed for fast on‑site repair, improved material purity at end‑of‑life, lower operational downtime in shared fleets, and reduced manufacturing complexity. The concept demonstrates how circularity may materialise in a future that prioritises reducing emissions and resource consumption.
Overall, this project illustrates that meaningful circular innovation does not necessarily come from adding complexity or technology. Instead, it comes from rethinking product architecture, designing for long-term use, and ensuring that parts remain valuable across multiple lifecycles. The insights generated during the development of this project, through interactions with the designers and engineers at RG, were gathered to inform how RG can strengthen its circular design capabilities. This project supports RG’s long‑term ambitions for a fully circular automotive ecosystem.