What do you think? What can the automotive industry do to promote a circular economy?
I think data is very important. Meaning that if we start to produce parts, we have to understand where all of the materials come from. Materials suppliers need to provide information to the part producers to the next level, ultimately to the consumer and the recycler. So I think data is very important. And they have to think about the automotive industry, has to think about how to provide this information to the next level, to the users to understand what they have in their car, and also to recycle so that they know what they’re dealing with, how to focus their attention to the the precious metals, the scarce materials, because everything will be scarce, including plastics.
You think they already do it?
I think automotive is at the moment already quite heavily looking into using materials, especially the plastics. I think more attention could be provided to the electronics so that they are ahead of legislation and not suffering from legislation. In that sense.
Do you own a car?
Yes.
Which kind of car is it?
I have a Renault Zoe, an electrical car, and I have a Toyota Corolla, which is a hybrid.
What personal or professional experience have you had with electronics in cars you have used?
Um, privately more, I think because I have relatively new cars. So I really enjoy safety features in cars. You know, everyone wants a safe car, but I really enjoy, for instance, cruise control that is adaptive. That really helps a lot. Also to make sure that I don’t oversee something that is happening in front of me. Distractions are everywhere and the car responds more quickly. So I find that a very nice feature, and it gives me also hope that the self-driving car will also be quite safe in the future. So for me, technology is very important in a vehicle and it also gives me a comfortable feeling.
Do you have concerns about privacy and private private data stored by car electronics?
Yes. So there are also reports in the media. And I’m critical about media reports, but nevertheless, they are a bit scary in the sense that it is claimed that Chinese cars might be less careful with personal data. But there was also warnings that might be that Koreans are changing their policies, that they are recording all kinds of information, might sometimes even focus on sexual preferences or interactions. And that goes way too far. So I think privacy is very important and that the car should be a private space.
What about electronics in general?
I think privacy is very important. So I don’t think anything personal should be recorded. And if it’s necessary for the activation or use of the electronics, it should be destroyed afterwards.
Are there general concerns about privacy and thinking about circular economy practice?
Yes, I think with a higher level of integration of electronics, more data is needed in order to really drive the electronics. And for me, that’s okay up to a certain point. So yeah, I hope I answered the question fully.
That recycling and reusing mean different things to you.
Recycling and reusing. Reusing, reusing. Reusing it. To me it means different things. So if you’re able to reuse a component from an electrical device or the entire device as is, that would be best really to extend life or give it a second life. And recycling is one of the later steps, one of the last steps that you would have to take. It means that you’re recovering the materials from the part, and the electronics and the functionalities are lost at that point.
On a scale of 1 to 5, one means not at all concerned, and five means extremely concerned. How concerned are you about issues of environmental waste and pollution?
Five very concerned.