Kickstart: The electric pony car

During the weekend, Ford Motor Co. rolled out its new electric vehicle, the Mustang Mach-E SUV, a 334-horsepower, 300-mile range SUV that promises to seat five adults and go from 0 to 60 in four seconds.

We've written before about the wealth of plastics in electric vehicles, from the film in lithium-ion batteries to connectors and lightweight parts. But our sister publication Automotive News gets under the hood, so to speak, at the design process, which included took advantage of plastics in a new way.

As Mike Martinez writes, Ford brought in consumers to get their feedback on the Mach-E: "Early prototypes were outfitted with plastic foam pieces that could be switched out quickly, depending on customer feedback.

"'We were swapping parts out like Legos,' said Josh Greiner, the vehicle's interior design director."

This week brings you some extra news, as inside Plastics News' print issue you'll find coverage from LSR World. There's no question that LSR has been an expanding business line. Early adopters of the technology are seeing payoffs for their investments. At a September event, Dow Inc. noted that the LSR market is projected to grow by 8 percent annually through 2023.

Wisconsin's Sim Lim Technic recently moved into a larger plant as new investors see a chance to take its expertise to a larger market.

And for molders who still want to emphsize their capabilities — rather than automating the process — LSR may be the exception to the standard rules of Industry 4.0.

The people behind the YouTube channel SortedFood, who talk about food, kitchen products, restaurants and more, take a look at the alternatives behind standard single-use plastic products in the kitchen in their latest video.

While they make the error of speaking of bio-based plastic as if it isn't plastic (it is, of course, just from a different base), they balance pretty well not only how well alternatives work, but also how much they cost, and if that cost is worth it.

Bioplastic straws made from avocados or apple pulp? Sure. A scrubbing brush using coconut husks? Why not. And what are they willing to compromise on? Take a look.