BMW Group and consortium partners have shown, through the Car2Car research project, that high-quality material loops are technically feasible in the automotive industry. Under expanded processing and sorting conditions, the project increased its ‘Car2Car rate’, the share of end-of-life vehicle materials recoverable at sufficient quality for reuse, from 6% to 51%.

Recovery potential was particularly high for steel, aluminium and copper, while challenges remain for plastics and glass. Using standard market methods, the project first achieved a 6% Car2Car rate; advanced processing and sorting steps then lifted this to 51%.

Under these conditions, the rate rose from 1% to 81% for steel, from 23% to 52% for aluminium and from 48% to 68% for copper. An additional sorting step reduced copper contamination in steel scrap, enabling high-quality flat steel for automotive use.

In a field test at BMW Group Plant Leipzig, more than 100,000 series parts were produced from the recovered steel and installed in vehicles, covering 433 end-of-life vehicles from 60 BMW models. BMW said the findings would inform its circular economy strategy and future recycling regulation.

In a statement, Alexander Efthimiou, senior vice president business development at BMW Group, said: ‘Car2Car shows that its full potential can be realised when the entire value chain is optimised.’ He added that BMW is using the findings, with its partners, to develop new process and business models.

Source: BMW Group