Dashboard Bites
7 Mind-bending automotive facts from around the world
WORDS BY ANBY ALCOMENDAS
When we talk about fleet sustainability, the conversation usually revolves around EV transitions and emission targets. But behind the scenes, engineers and sustainability pioneers are getting weird, wild, and incredibly creative. From fast-food waste to energy-harvesting tarmac, here are seven fascinating tidbits from around the globe that prove the future of fleet is anything but boring.
“ Number 2”-powered EV
Down in Brisbane in 2021, Urban Utilities, made international waves by running a Hyundai Kona EV powered entirely by electricity generated from human waste. Dubbed " Number 2," this fleet vehicle runs on electricity captured from biogas produced during sewage treatment.
Turns out what gets flushed down the loo is a highly viable source of emission-free power.
Cars are unsung recycling champions
When you think of recycling, you probably picture plastic bottles or aluminium cans. But the actual king of the circular economy is actually cars. 25 + million cars are recycled globally every year Furthermore, 95 per cent of a retired vehicle ' s materials can be recovered or repurposed. If that doesn’ t convince you, what about the fact that recycling vehicle steel uses 74 per cent less energy than producing virgin steel
Underbody panels made of... dirty diapers?!
Back in 2022, Mercedes-Benz partnered with Israeli technology firm UBQ to test composite material made from household rubbish like food scraps, mixed plastics, cardboard, and scrap baby diapers.
This bio-based composite replaces petroleum-based plastics in underbody panels, wheel arch linings, and engine compartment covers.
Headlamps from coffee scraps
Ford partnered with McDonald ' s to redirect food waste from landfills straight onto the assembly line.
The secret ingredient? Coffee chaff or that the papery skin of the coffee bean that naturally separates during roasting. Mixed with plastic and additives, it creates a durable bioplastic now used to reinforce headlamp housings. The result is 25 per cent less energy to mould and a significantly lighter component.
McDonald ' s generates enough chaff annually to divert millions of kilograms from landfill. Your morning flat white just got a second life under the hood.
Got a wild sustainability fact we missed? Send it through for the next edition of Dashboard Bites! Send us your best shot at info @ afma. org. au
42 ISSUE 59 JUNE 2026 / WWW. AFMA. ORG. AU