While automakers scramble to pump out battery packs with ranges that can compete with Tesla, there’s another, equally as important, aspect of EVs that automakers must focus on — environmental sustainability. As important to the environment as switching to EVs are, the production of EVs can actually cause more harm than good, as the production of batteries creates more pollutants than the production of the actual automobile itself. So BMW has an idea and it’s to reduce the environment impact of automotive production by using recycled materials.
According to BMW CEO Oliver Zipse, all new BMW models will be made using recycled materials by 2025. BMW wants to use recycled raw materials; metal, plastic, and wood, in all of its vehicles starting in 2025, in an effort to reduce the carbon footprint of its vehicle production. Apparently, Zipse wants BMW to produce the greenest car in the world.
This is a good idea and it’s not one that BMW is unfamiliar with. Production for the BMW i3’s carbon fiber chassis actually used some recycled materials and the plant at which that was done was powered by wind and hydro power. So BMW is no stranger to eco-friendly, sustainable manufacturing and it’s good that the brand wants to increase its efforts soon.
We don’t have any other details, such as which recycled materials will used or how much of each vehicle will be made from such recycled materials. We also don’t know how many plants, or which ones, will do so. However, any step in the right direction is a helpful one, so we’re happy to hear that BMW is making such an investment.
Tomorrow, the BMW i4 launches and it will be the first all-electric sport sedan in the brand’s history. Combine that news with this news of recycled materials and BMW seems to be making a big push toward a more sustainable automotive future.
[Source: Bloomberg]
