Press Release
BMW Lightweight Technology: Achieving the Right Ecological Balance
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Judging and assessing cars from an all-round perspective with the help of ecology balance case studies, BMW's specialists are able to develop meaningful lightweight concepts saving resources with maximum efficiency.
In creating "intelligent" lightweight developments, experts at the BMW Group's Recycling and Dismantling Center (RDC) keep a close eye on the car concepts of tomorrow, one of their particular interests being ecology balance case studies: In detailed studies of this kind, BMW Group specialists focus on the entire lifecycle of a car and the possible influence of specific concepts and components. Such a process chain analysis is very comprehensive and far-reaching, beginning in the very first stage of vehicle development and extending through the recovery and processing of raw materials all the way to vehicle production and, of course, subsequent use of the vehicle by the customer together with the service required. But since even this does not close the entire circle, the final phase in the lifecycle of a car, that is the process of recycling the end-of-life vehicle, is also taken into account.
All-round perspective
This all-round perspective shows that some lightweight concepts promising at first sight to significantly reduce fuel consumption thanks to their much lower weight may at the end of the day prove to be less meaningful and beneficial in ecological terms. This is the case, for example, wherever the process of recovering resources and producing the material calls for a lot more energy or generates a lot more emissions than can be saved throughout the entire lifecycle of the car through the reduction of fuel consumption. Another important point to be considered here is the proper recycling of the materials used in line with environmental standards and requirements.
Meaningful concepts to give an intelligent mix of materials a bright future
In the light of these considerations, ecology balance case studies are exactly the right tool to assess lightweight concepts from every angle. This is why the various combinations of materials used in BMW Group vehicles are all based on a meaningful concept with meaningful qualities. And since there is no such thing as one ideal solution in lightweight technology, the BMW Group will continue to use intelligent combinations of metallic and non-metallic materials also in future.
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Photo Caption:
Top: BMW 5 Series/body in white with front end structure, bonnet and wings in aluminium Bottom: The Rolls-Royce Phantom aluminium space frame body
