BMW’s efforts to reduce emissions are increasing, not only on the road but also during the production cycle. The goal, in the latter case, is to halve them by 2030 compared to the values of 2019, and recycling is one of the most encouraged tools by the Munich-based company, which intends to increase the use of recycled and reusable materials up to to 50% from the current 30%.
It is therefore no coincidence that a new concept of sustainable car will be presented at the Munich Motor Show 2021, scheduled from 7 to 12 September: the BMW i Vision Circular is a car produced 100% with secondary materials or renewable raw materials, it is 100% recyclable and is the manifesto of what urban mobility will be for the German company in 2040. And that is “sustainable and luxurious. This car demonstrates that climate protection and individual mobility are not necessarily contradicting each other – they explain from BMW – On the contrary, it shows that by using new technologies and innovation one can meet the planet’s requirements for greater sustainability without customers must renounce individual mobility “.
The Neue Klasse platform and plans for the future
Little has yet been revealed about the new car other than a “teaser” image that shows only its shadow, but what is certain is that BMW is focusing heavily on the new Neue Klasse platform to accelerate the path of decarbonization. Over the next ten years, the brand confirmed, approximately ten million fully electric vehicles will be put into circulation and by 2030 at least half of the BMW Group’s global sales will consist of full electric vehicles, with the Mini brand offering exclusively fully electric vehicles. electric from 2030.
Meanwhile, BMW has confirmed its intention to significantly increase the percentage of recycled materials in the production of its vehicles: by appealing to the “4 R” (rethink, reduce, reuse, recycle), the group has doubled its efforts to enhance the circular economy by developing more and more “closed circles” and new sustainable materials. An example is the company’s pilot project with BASF and the Alba Group, aimed at increasing the recycling of plastic used for cars. The aim of the project is to reduce the use of primary plastics through a complete recycling system, and to this end the Alba group is in charge of analyzing BMW vehicles at the end of their life to determine if it is possible to reuse plastic from car to car.
In a second phase, BASF has the task of evaluating whether it is possible to use the chemical recycling of the chosen waste to obtain pyrolysis oil to be used as a base for new plastic products, to be used in the future for dashboard coatings or components. Similarly, BMW is focusing on assembly and disassembly procedures, in order to allow the removal of materials at the end of the vehicle’s useful life without those of different nature being mixed together. To date, it is estimated that cars are made up of 8 to 10 thousand different materials.
