Following the successful utilisation of renewable raw materials in racing cars, the BMW Group says it will now harness natural fibre composites for its series-production models.
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BMW maintains it has reached series maturity for natural fibre composites following several years of development and in-depth research. The composites from renewable raw materials can even meet the stringent demands of roof structures in total vehicle homologation.
The flax-based lightweight components have been developed in collaboration with Bcomp, a Swiss clean-tech company, for several years now, BMW says.
The partnership with Bcomp supports the BMW Group’s goal of further reducing CO2 equivalent emissions in future vehicle models. BMW also holds a stake in Bcomp through BMW i Ventures, the company’s venture capital arm.
Lightweight construction has long been a crucial development field for the BMW Group. The use of natural fibres with a reduced CO2 footprint in composite materials has become increasingly important. Materials tests have demonstrated the fibres’ great suitability, especially for visible exterior and interior components.
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By GlobalDataOne example BMW sites is exchanging carbon fibre composites for natural fibre composites in the roofs of the next-generation BMW Group portfolio. It says that leads to a CO2 equivalent reduction of around 40% in production plus additional end-of-life considerations.
The innovative reinforcement parts made of natural fibre composites were initially used by BMW M Motorsport in the 2019 season of Formula E. Since then, the components have also been successfully used in the BMW M4 DTM and M4 GT4, replacing carbon fibre plastic (CFRP) parts. Since 2022, Bcomp has been an official BMW M Motorsport partner for the BMW M4 GT4.
The new lightweight materials will be fitted in the BMW M4 GT4 for the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring. Franciscus van Meel, CEO of BMW M GmbH, said: “Natural fibre composites are a vital element of innovative lightweight solutions in motorsport, allowing for a reduction in CO2e emissions in the manufacturing process. Natural fibre is an innovation that perfectly exemplifies BMW M’s claim ‘Born on the racetrack. Made for the streets.’. This is why we are delighted to confirm the series maturity of these materials, a breakthrough we achieved with our official BMW M Motorsport partner Bcomp. We are now looking forward to the use of these materials in future BMW M product ranges.”
