BMW wants you to go ga-ga. Not at its cars but this: the BMW M Visionary Materials Seat.
BMW made the innovative car seat with a focus on sustainability, using plant-based materials and enhancing recyclability as part of a circular design approach.
The seat, designed for future vehicles, emphasises lightweight construction, aesthetic appeal, and functionality.
A minimalist design highlights the lightweight structure, making it a core component. Lifecycle assessments (LCA) guided the development process at each stage, ensuring environmental impact was minimised.
The project evaluated materials with a high secondary raw material quota (SQR), identifying natural fibres, composites, leather alternatives, and algae-based polymers as optimal choices.
The result was a car seat with a carbon footprint 90% lower than that of a current BMW M carbon bucket seat. This reduction was achieved through the use of ultra-light, robotically-wound fibre composites, natural materials, and high recyclability.
The seat’s design also benefits from reduced module complexity and materials grouped by type, facilitating easier recycling at the end of its lifecycle.
Additionally, new additive manufacturing techniques eliminated the need for support structures, chemical post-treatment, and finishing, further conserving resources and energy.
BMW development head (total vehicle-lifecycle) Roberto Rossetti said the data from the project “provided valuable insights for improving sustainability and shaping future vehicle designs.”
The seat recently won an Altair award for innovative lightweight construction and sustainability solutions.
