• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • The Rearview Mirror: The End of the Road for Route 66
  • Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline
  • Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom
  • Hyundai Slashing Passenger Car Line-up — Again
  • Tesla, Maserati and Genesis Owner Loyalty Rising
  • Tesla Market Share Set to Collapse as EV Competition Heats Up, Predicts Leading Analyst
  • Nissan Planning to Drop Titan After 2024
  • New NHTSA Chief Ready to Crack Down on Wayward Self-Driving Technology
  • GM Avoids UAW Strike at Four Michigan Plants
  • Rising EV Prices Could Cause the Auto Market to “Collapse,” Warns Stellantis Manufacturing Chief
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Overland
    • A Week With: 2022 Volkswagen Tiguan SE R-Line Black
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Lyriq
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Everglades Edition
    • A Week With: 2022 Mazda3 2.5 S AWD Hatchback
    • First Drive: 2023 Honda HR-V
    • First Drive: 2022 Ford Bronco Raptor
    • A Week With: 2022 GMC Terrain AT4 AWD
    • A Week With: 2022 Cadillac Escalade Sport
    • First Drive: 2023 Cadillac Escalade-V
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Design > BMW i Vision Circular Concept Looks at a High-Tech Future with Zero Waste

        BMW i Vision Circular Concept Looks at a High-Tech Future with Zero Waste

        Show-car debuting in Munich is 100% recyclable.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Sept. 06, 2021

        The first-ever Munich Motor Show sees BMW debuting a handful of products set to roll into showrooms in the coming months, including a hydrogen fuel-cell vehicle, the iX5, and updates of the iX3 city car and X4 and X5 sport-utility vehicles.

        BMW i Vision Circular front
        The BMW i Vision Circular aims to provide a glimpse at what a luxury SUV can offer in 2040.

        But the Bavarian brand also is peering well into the future with the unveiling of the i Vision Circular Concept. The oddly named show car aims to provide a look at what an environmentally friendly, compact luxury SUV will look like in 2040.

        “The BMW i Vision Circular … symbolizes our ambition to be a pioneering force in the development of a circular economy,” said BMW Chairman Oliver Zipse. That means a focus on recycling all the components and raw materials in tomorrow’s vehicles, according to Zipse, who added ”the current trend in commodity prices clearly shows the financial consequences in store for any industry that is reliant on finite resources.”

        That’s already becoming apparent as automakers struggle to find the raw materials for all the battery packs they’ll need as the industry electrifies. Some experts warn there could be shortages of lithium and other metals if new supplies aren’t found. And, longer term, they contend that more advanced battery recycling will be essential.

        BMW i Vision Circular rear
        The goal was to make the i Vision Circular 100% recyclable, officials said.

        Everything recyclable

        The “overriding design” goal for the i Circular Vision Concept is to recycle 100% of the vehicle, including not only its batteries and metal body panels but tires, seat fabrics and other materials.

        As a result, the automaker says, the concept “will achieve much higher energy density with significantly reduced use of the most valuable resources.”

        To achieve that goal will require a radical new approach to design and engineering, according to BMW, along with the development of new, more sustainable materials. That could include organic fabrics, as well as the use of materials like recycled soft drink bottles.

        The concept’s bumpers, for example, use new manufacturing techniques to give recycled plastic a more appealing texture. And laser engraving techniques could eliminate the need for bolted-on badging and trim parts, says BMW.

        BMW i Vision Circular interior
        To make recycling the i Vision simpler, they made it easier to take apart.

        Where the recycled rubber meets the road

        The concept even addresses the challenges of recycling rubber.

        “The slightly transparent tires are made from certified, sustainably cultivated natural rubber,” the automaker said in a statement. “Colored, recycled rubber particles are added to the tire compound for strengthening and create an intriguing terrazzo effect which purposefully highlights the reuse of materials.

        It also will be important to design future vehicles to make it easy to disassemble them, BMW says, easing the challenge — and cost — of recycling.

        “In order to minimize the amount of waste and offcuts,” the automaker explained, “all components and materials will be manufactured to fit exactly using processes such as 3D printing. Any surplus material will be systematically fed back into the materials cycle.

        BMW i Vision Circular cutaway
        While environmentally friendly, the i Vision Circular optimizes functionality and usefulness.

        New technologies

        The Circular Concept also will make use of new powertrain technologies. For one thing, the prototype draws power from next-generation solid-state batteries that are expected to be lighter, less expensive, faster to charge and less prone to catch fire than today’s lithium-ion technology.

        The Circular Concept also adopts new technologies, integrating its displays directly into the windshield, for one thing.

        “The information area you would normally expect to find in a central information display is located above the instrument panel at the bottom of the windscreen,” said the BMW backgrounder. “The existing windscreen is transformed into an information source and eliminates the need for any other displays in the interior.”

        According to BMW, it will begin incorporating some of the ideas and technologies found in the i Vision Circular Concept as it begins rolling out its “Neue Klasse,” or New Class, of electrified vehicles in the coming years.

        Recently Published
        Car dealers sales area

        Here We Go Again: Automakers Report June Sales Decline

        July 01, 2022
        Car dealership, closeup view on radiator grille

        Recession or Not, U.S. Car Market is in For a Big Boom

        July 01, 2022
        2022 Hyundai Veloster N driving REL

        Hyundai Slashing Passenger Car Line-up — Again

        July 01, 2022

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2022
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: