It’s “Fossil Fool’s Day”: Tackling Automotive Industry Challenges and Options for Clean Renewable Energy and Reduction of Fossil Fuels

Today is April 1st, canonically accepted as April Fool’s Day, but thanks to organizations like Greenpeace who are committed to sustainability, environmentally conscious living, and reducing our carbon footprint as a society, it’s now known as Fossil Fool’s day!

Efforts are being made around the world to transform the automotive industry into something more sustainable and energy efficient.  Companies are pledging to reach carbon neutrality, commit to natural and sustainable production methods, and reach new heights in clean energy technologies.  At Classic, we’re proud to be a part of brands that are striving to create a greener world and protecting the planet for future generations.  Let’s take a look at how our manufacturers are moving forward with these efforts!

Fast Facts About Fossil Fuels Consumption and Clean Energy Options

• Fossil fuels are a finite resource and not a renewable energy
• Nearly 80% of energy in the US comes from coal, natural gas, and oil.
• 63% of electricity in the US comes from fossil fuel burning (2019)
• The US has the 2nd highest economic cost of Fossil fuel air pollution, for an average toll of $600 billion annually.
• During April 2020, daily global fossil CO2 emissions dropped by 17% in comparison to statistics from 2019 due to Covid-19 related lockdowns and isolation.
• When fossil fuels are burned they release CO2 greenhouse gasses, which trap heat in our atmosphere; as a result the average global temperature has increased by 1 degree celsius.
• Natural gas is generally cleaner than coal or oil, but still accounts for 1/5th of the world’s total carbon emissions.
• Solar energy is nearly 200 years old, and in the 1950s NASA was the first organization to adopt solar technology use!
• Iceland is at the forefront of clean, renewable energy with near 100% of the country’s energy produced from renewable resources such as geothermal and hydro energy
• Hydropower is the largest source of renewable energy across the world.

Kia

Kia is committed to reducing carbon emissions from the manufacturing process.  The Slovakia plant is using 100% of the renewable energy produced by hydroelectric power,  Kia’s plant in India has introduced a zero wastewater discharge system in 2020, and the entirety of their wastewater is recycled at their plant without discharging it!  Overseas, Kia has plans to swap their reliance on fossil fuels to renewable energy resources by 2030; they’ll aim to reach that in Korean plants by 2040.  Kia has received the Leadership A rating from the Carbon Disclosure Project, an international non-profit organization which aims to help companies and cities disclose their environmental impact. Since 2015, Kia has also been making strides to implement eco-friendly construction and manufacturing processes. They’ve created a reverse osmosis painting process, improved handling of hazardous chemicals, and reduced dependency on toxic substances during manufacturing.  Additionally, the company has reduced its reliance on and waste of steel sheets, paint and paint thinners, and plastics; overall this has resulted in 13.6% reduction in raw material consumption as of 2020, nearly doubling the results of the previous year’s efforts. They’ve also achieved a 95% rate of recycling main raw materials!

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