Envision Racing, a Formula E racing team, has created a drivable car made from recycled electronic waste like smartphones, circuit boards, and vapes. The car is called the Formula E Gen3 Recover-E car.
The vehicle is a collaboration with artist/designer Liam Hopkins, who used e-waste donated by the company Music Magpie to design the car.
"Through design and creativity, we want to show the issue of e-waste and its potential to accelerate the creation of a circular economy," he told DesignBoom.
The car features repurposed LED lights on the backside, while brightly colored vapes and iPhones are spread across the front bumper. The main body of the vehicle is covered in flattened circuit boards, giving the majority of the car an eye-catching green hue. It debuted at the ExCeL in London.
Electronic waste –– which includes discarded phones, batteries, computers, vapes, and other consumer technology –– is a significant issue, as e-waste production may exceed 80 million tons by the end of the decade, according to DesignBoom.
Envision Racing launched its Race Against Climate Change campaign to help spread awareness of the issue and transition toward renewable energy. The team also encourages fans to build their own cars out of e-waste through its Recover E-Waste to Race program.
Electronic waste is dangerous because it often leaks into the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the soil where our food grows. Substances like lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic, which can lead to cancer, reproductive problems, and neurological damage, can be released from e-waste, according to the Geneva Environment Network.
"If the millions upon millions of Lithium batteries that are found in vapes and other products are recycled, it will dramatically reduce both the need for rare earth mineral mining and the large energy needed to create the batteries from scratch," Sylvain Filippi, the managing director and CTO of Envision Racing, said.
"We want to increase awareness of e-waste and help build a 'circular economy' where electrical products are reused or recycled, not thrown away," Filippi added.
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