Soda cans and luxury sedans

[ JULY 20, 2009 - OKLAHOMA CITY, OK ] - There’s exciting news for the environmental- and energy-conscious in the automobile sector and it surprisingly isn’t centered on fuel technology alone. The new 2010 Jaguar XJ, the latest model in the storied line of luxury sedans, was unveiled just days ago to wide acclaim. The car has an aluminum body, half of which is made of recycled material. That’s right, your diet coke can is now a Jaguar.

It’s no secret that the global auto industry has been looking for ways to modernize and shake up sales, but Jaguar’s newest edition is making strides in areas where other manufacturers haven’t. For starters, Jaguar’s use of recycled aluminum shows that energy-consciousness is no longer limited to the hybrid car market. Most everyone likes the idea of using materials with more recycled content, but how exactly does a luxury sedan with a $72,000 price tag make any practical contributions to energy conservation and efficiency?

Recycled aluminum requires 95-percent less energy to produce than new aluminum made directly from raw ore. Aluminum is extremely durable, so the metal retains its strength and durability through each recycling. By most accounts, there is enough aluminum in circulation today that if every piece were recycled, it wouldn’t be necessary to produce brand-new aluminum at all.

To get an idea of exactly how much energy is saved by recycling aluminum, think of your average soda can. Recycling just one of those cans saves just about enough energy to power a standard television for three hours. There are approximately 34.21 aluminum cans in a pound. That recycled pound amounts to almost 103 hours worth of electricity for a medium-sized appliance saved through recycling. On a national scale, the potential energy savings are staggering. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Americans threw away about 2.6 million tons of aluminum in 2007 alone. Even without doing the math here, it is easy to see that the result of recycling, even just a portion of that aluminum waste, would translate into vast energy savings.

The designers of the new Jaguar XJ model admit that using aluminum has benefits on the road as well. The new aluminum body reduces the car’s total weight by about 300 pounds, increasing fuel efficiency and reducing the vehicle’s carbon-dioxide emissions. According to Jaguar, the XJ doesn’t sacrifice safety or structural integrity as compared to traditional steel because of its inventive design and creative use of aluminum.

Although a $72,000 vehicle is a tough sell for almost everyone, the release of the new Jaguar should be received as a positive advancement in the global automobile industry. We see a major player dedicating itself to producing a lighter, more efficient vehicle with a sustainable and easily recyclable resource. Imagine if we could approach major purchases such as vehicles with an eye toward the future, knowing that certain models could be easily recycled rather than just scrapped for parts. Such a reality would enable us to be conscious about energy saved through improved mileage ratings as well as resources saved during production. That car you love and don’t want to get rid of actually becomes part of the next, newer model.

Drink up, America, but please recycle, too. Now that’s an idea that also goes 0 to 60 in 5.4 seconds.

Jim Roth, a former Oklahoma corporation commissioner, is an attorney with Phillips Murrah P.C. in Oklahoma City, where his practice focuses on clean, green energy for Oklahoma.