After proving their value on the observe, pure fiber composites are lastly making their method into BMW Group’s manufacturing automobiles. Years of R&D and testing have paid off—these renewable supplies have now reached what’s referred to as “sequence maturity,” which is business communicate for: they’re prepared for the actual world, not simply racetracks.
Developed in collaboration with Swiss clean-tech agency Bcomp, these flax-based composites tick all of the bins—together with the robust homologation requirements for structural components like roofs. BMW’s been working with Bcomp for years now and even invested within the firm by means of BMW i Ventures, which tells you simply how critically they’re taking this complete sustainability push.
Light-weight development has all the time been a BMW specialty, and this new materials not solely cuts weight however slashes CO? emissions within the course of. Swapping out conventional carbon fiber for flax fiber within the roof of a next-gen mannequin can reportedly minimize production-related CO? by round 40%. That’s earlier than you even get into how a lot simpler these items is to recycle or eliminate.
The primary testbed for this tech? Motorsports, in fact. BMW M began utilizing pure fiber components again in 2019 with its Method E program, and the M4 DTM and M4 GT4 have since adopted go well with. Since 2022, Bcomp has even been an official companion of BMW M Motorsport.
Subsequent up is the actual proving floor: the 24 Hours of Nürburgring, the place these supplies shall be put by means of hell on the BMW M4 GT4. As BMW M boss Franciscus van Meel places it, “Pure fiber composites are a significant ingredient of modern light-weight options in motorsport.” Translation: they’re quick, inexperienced, and about to go mainstream.
And sure—true to BMW M’s slogan—what’s born on the observe is about to hit the road.
