Car restoration expert creates vehicle installations using e-waste

PTI, Jan 11, 2023, 4:40 PM IST

PTI photo

Drawing attention to mindful consumption of resources, a city-based car restoration expert has created installations of cars using e-waste materials and automobile scrap.

The installations will be exhibited at Auto Expo 2023 at Greater Noida from January 13. “e-waste is becoming a challenge for the environment and if we continue to ignore this, it will be a major problem for the world. With this in mind, I created a model of the Morgan car with e-waste like chips, hardware, keyboards, computers and telecommunications equipment, electronic devices, among others,” Himanshu Jangid said.

Jangid, who founded ‘Cartist’ platform for promoting automobile art, said it took more than two months to create the e-waste car which involved designing and building the vehicle’s frame, integrating e-waste while maintaining the design of the car. Apart from this, a model of Ambassador car made out of automobile scrap and artwork on electric scooters are among other creative work to be displayed at Cartist Pavilion during the Auto Expo exhibition. “Inspired by the iconic Ambassador car that ruled the roads of India for more than five decades, the car frame was made with automobile scrap which includes bearings, clutch plates, steel wire, chain, transmission gear, engine piston, and other materials. The car model sculpture is made out of more than 1,500 scrap auto parts to give the message of sustainability,” he told PTI.

Four electric scooters designed on different themes like one draped in cloth by weavers as a tribute to weavers of India, one studded by jewelery of Jaipur, another depicting street food, and one showcasing the rich heritage and art of Indian streets will also be exhibited, he said. The unique artist said the cover of a book on restoration of two iconic cars — Cadillac 1954 Fleetwood and Ambassador Mark II 1969 — will also be launched at the exhibition. The book will be released on the World Heritage Day on April 18.

The process of restoration has been documented in the book.

Another initiative to upcycle automobile scrap into sustainable furniture will also be exhibited at the Cartist pavilion.