SPOTTED: Product Design alumnus Gijs Schalkx at DDW with car that runs on waste plastic
- Design
Spotted in the Volkskrant - Gijs Schalkx graduated two years ago from the bachelor's course Product Design in Arnhem. His graduation work was the 'Slootmotor', a moped that ran on methane gas, which he collected with his own hands from ditches. Now, two years later, he is at Dutch Design Week with a Volvo that runs on waste plastic. De Volkskrant interviewed Gijs about it.
'Plasticauto'
The Volkskrant not only interviewed Gijs, they also took a ride in the car, since Gijs' plastic car is allowed on the road! Even the heating system on the roof wasn't a problem. "We always think that nothing is allowed in this country. But a lot of things are allowed. Aren't we also pushing ourselves too much into rules?", says Gijs.
Gijs' overall environmental impact is even comparable to a Tesla. "I don't buy a new car, for which cobalt and lithium are mined in Congo or Chile. In doing so, I skip all links in the polluting oil chain - from drilling rigs to oil tankers and pumping stations." By simplifying the production system, Gijs actually reveals its complexity: "There are no sustainable cars."
We can outsource gas extraction, or buy an energy-efficient but extremely expensive Tesla, but putting more money into a problem is often not the solution. We are the problem and so we have to change ourselves."
'Slootmotor'
The plastic car is a wonderful sequel to the 'Slootmotor', Gijs' graduation work. There, too, you can see that Gijs' aim is not to solve problems, but to make them visible.
Product Design
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