From Material to Component: Pulse Mobility Lab’s Role in POLYMERS-5B’s Automotive Validation
A new video released on the POLYMERS-5B linkedin profile puts the spotlight on Pulse Mobility Lab, the project partner responsible for testing and validating automotive components and prototypes made from the new bio-based polymers developed within the project.
Bridging Material Development and Industrial Application
In the video, Rita, from the Pulse Mobility Lab team, explains the group’s mission within POLYMERS-5B: assessing whether components manufactured from the project’s novel bio-based polymers can meet the strict requirements of automotive applications. The goal is to determine whether these materials can become a credible, high-performing alternative to conventional plastics — matching the standards and specifications set by automotive manufacturers without compromising on performance.
This testing and validation work sits at a critical junction of the value chain, translating promising material properties into proven, application-ready components.
Testing Tailored to Component Function
Pulse Mobility Lab’s approach adapts the test protocol to the specific role each component plays in the vehicle:
- Structural components are assessed primarily for safety, durability and structural integrity, through flammability testing, volatile emissions and fogging analysis, and vibration resistance.
- Functional components undergo hardness testing alongside environmental, chemical, flammability and vibration assessments, verifying that the material retains the properties needed to perform its intended function over time.
- Appearance components are evaluated for colour and gloss retention, as well as resistance to UV exposure, temperature swings and humidity cycling — ensuring surface finish and visual quality hold up under real-world conditions.
Together, these tests reproduce the operating conditions typical of automotive environments, giving the consortium a realistic picture of how the new bio-based materials will actually perform once integrated into a vehicle.
A Two-Stage Validation Strategy
Pulse Mobility Lab’s validation methodology unfolds in two stages:
- Material characterisation – the new bio-based polymers are first characterised and tested to confirm their suitability for the intended applications.
- Component-level validation – once a material is validated, it is processed into components, which are then tested according to their specific function and end use. This step links material-level properties to actual component performance under conditions representative of automotive service.
Accelerating the Shift to Sustainable, High-Performance Materials
For the Pulse Mobility Lab team, success means building solid, reliable evidence that these bio-based polymers can hold their own against the demanding requirements of the automotive sector. By connecting material development with component- and product-level validation, the team is helping accelerate the industry’s transition toward more sustainable, high-performance material solutions.
What excites the team most about POLYMERS-5B is the broader opportunity it represents: turning renewable biowaste into valuable, high-performance materials. Pulse Mobility Lab looks forward to continuing this work and to seeing how the project’s results help drive a more sustainable, circular polymer industry.
▶️ Watch the full video to see the process in detail