Volkswagen Finds Plastics Are Doggone Good for Auto PartsVolkswagen Finds Plastics Are Doggone Good for Auto Parts

Plastic polymers not only help shave weight from Volkswagen’s vehicles, they even inspired a classic dog toy.

Dan Carney, Senior Editor

September 20, 2021

3 Min Read
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Pliable rubber polymer axle stops from a Volkswagen inspired development of the Kong dog toy.Volkswagen

Plastics are so commonplace as to seem like wallpaper in the background, easily overlooked but ubiquitous. As the auto industry continues its drive to reduce vehicles’ carbon emissions, polymers are even more crucial through their weight-reduction advantages compared to other materials.

Indeed, the U.S. Department of Energy reports that reducing a vehicle’s weight by 10 percent can produce a 6-8 percent improvement in overall fuel economy, with a corresponding reduction in carbon emissions.

This is one reason why the auto industry is the third-largest user of polymers, after the packaging industry and the building and construction industries. According to Volkswagen, there are 39 different types of basic plastics used in the average car, and more than 70 percent of the plastic is derived from four main polymers: polypropylene, polyurethane, polyamides, and PVC.

Some of these parts have been around for a while. One example is the rubber axle bump stop. This is the part that cushions the impact when a car’s suspension bottoms out. In 1976, Denver Volkswagen shop owner Joe Markham found that his German Shephard puppy liked to use these bulbous rubber bumpers as chew toys, and he had the idea for the now-classic Kong dog toy.

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A rubber axle stop for an old VW like the one that inspired the Kong dog toy.

New Volkswagens have many more uses for polymers than those old Beetles and Buses. One recent example is the development of a lightweight polypropylene to incorporate on the door frame of the Volkswagen Atlas.

Related:Tech Tidbit: How Volkswagen Developed the ID.4 EV’s Drive Mode Selector

“We were able to reduce the weight of the part while preserving its same characteristics,” said laboratory evaluation specialist Ellen Collins, who works in Volkswagen’s polymers laboratory near the company’s Chattanooga, Tenn. assembly plant.

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The 2021 Volkswagen Atlas features a lightweight polymer door frame to save weight.

A polymer is any long molecular chain made up of bonded chemical units, or monomers. These chemical chains are strong, resistant, and have a high tolerance for heat – making them useful in a variety of components throughout a vehicle.

“Polymers have improved all of our lives in many ways, but especially in vehicles,” said Collins, who may have overlooked their value for dog toys. “Unlike metals, you can directly mold them, which can make them more versatile and less expensive for the manufacturer. And, because they can be made quickly, they can go into production much faster than other materials, which can also help reduce the cost for the end-user.”

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Volkswagen's polymer lab in Chattanooga.

Collins and her team in VW’s polymer lab test, inspect, and approve these components to help ensure there are no defects, looking at characteristics such as the texture, mold, and grain. They also work closely with the company’s chemical compound suppliers to supply the right materials. “We challenge them with a ‘wish list’ of items we’d like to see developed,” she says.

Related:70 years of classic Volkswagen ads

Kong’s Markham had a similar wish list for material properties back in the ‘70s but lacked his own polymer lab. So, he turned to rubber experts in Germany to finalize the right chemistry and composition for a canine chew toy. 

Plastics play a key role as the auto industry shifts toward electric drive systems because of the weight of EVs’ battery packs. “We have to incorporate lighter parts to help offset the weight of the car’s heavy batteries,” Collins said. “We believe that polymers are the future … and hope that all car companies are taking the same approach because the sooner they bring down the weight of their vehicles, the quicker we can work toward reducing our carbon footprint.”

And who knows what future product spin-offs could be inspired by emerging categories of chewable soft rubber parts?

About the Author

Dan Carney

Senior Editor, Design News

Dan’s coverage of the auto industry over three decades has taken him to the racetracks, automotive engineering centers, vehicle simulators, wind tunnels, and crash-test labs of the world.

A member of the North American Car, Truck, and Utility of the Year jury, Dan also contributes car reviews to Popular Science magazine, serves on the International Engine of the Year jury, and has judged the collegiate Formula SAE competition.

Dan is a winner of the International Motor Press Association's Ken Purdy Award for automotive writing, as well as the National Motorsports Press Association's award for magazine writing and the Washington Automotive Press Association's Golden Quill award.

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He has held a Sports Car Club of America racing license since 1991, is an SCCA National race winner, two-time SCCA Runoffs competitor in Formula F, and an Old Dominion Region Driver of the Year award winner. Co-drove a Ford Focus 1.0-liter EcoBoost to 16 Federation Internationale de l’Automobile-accredited world speed records over distances from just under 1km to over 4,104km at the CERAM test circuit in Mortefontaine, France.

He was also a longtime contributor to the Society of Automotive Engineers' Automotive Engineering International magazine.

He specializes in analyzing technical developments, particularly in the areas of motorsports, efficiency, and safety.

He has been published in The New York Times, NBC News, Motor Trend, Popular Mechanics, The Washington Post, Hagerty, AutoTrader.com, Maxim, RaceCar Engineering, AutoWeek, Virginia Living, and others.

Dan has authored books on the Honda S2000 and Dodge Viper sports cars and contributed automotive content to the consumer finance book, Fight For Your Money.

He is a member and past president of the Washington Automotive Press Association and is a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers

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