In a key milestone Bcomp will be collaborating with Polestar, the contemporary electric performance brand, to develop the interior materials of its future models. The Fribourg startup is today focused on the scaling up process and working hard to open in autumn its first production facility in its home town.
Following in the footsteps of the vegan interior featured as standard in the Polestar 2, Polestar identifies its next steps towards full-circle sustainability for its vehicles. Working with specialists in the field such as Fribourg based startup Bcomp, the contemporary electric performance brand is aiming to reduce weight, cut plastic content and lessen waste material with innovative natural and recycled source materials.
Bcomp’s revolutionary powerRibsTM and ampliTexTM technologies could turn natural fibres into a lightweight and safety-conscious interior panels for future production models within the Polestar range. The composite utilizes flax, which differs from many bio-materials as it is ideal for use in crop rotation programs and does not directly compete with food crops.
Christian Fischer, Bcomp CEO says: “Polestar shares our passion and obsession for marrying performance and sustainability, and they have the courage and drive to make the future of mobility happen right now. Thanks to their unique and forward-thinking design approach, they really make a difference and clearly demonstrate what tomorrow’s cars should look like. We are extremely proud to be part of their exciting journey with our sustainable lightweight material solutions"
With up to 50% reduction in overall weight and an 80% reduction in plastic content compared to traditional interior panels, Bcomp enables a significant weight saving by being not only stronger but also lighter than traditional plastics used in car interiors. This is a key milestone in the go-to-market plan for Fribourg based company which has been working for 5 years on the automotive applications of its materials, explains Bcomp's CEO Christian Fischer to Startupticker.ch.
Promoting recycled material sources
A 3D-knit material, well-known in the fashion and active footwear industries, can be implemented as seating surfaces to reduce waste and promote recycled material sources. A single thread is used to produce a three-dimensional individual component in its entirety and the base material is 100% recycled yarn derived from PET bottles. Waste is removed in the production process since the material is made exactly to size with no off-cuts.
The wine and fishing industries can also contribute towards Polestar’s quest for full-circle sustainability, with cork and fishing nets being recycled and incorporated within car interiors. Waste material from the cork manufacturing process and even whole bottle stoppers can be integrated into PVC interior componentry. Recycled Nylon 6, derived from discarded fishing nets, can be turned into woven carpets and is gathered through an international collection network to infinitely regenerate this material and accept returned end-of-life products from customers and consumers.
(Press release - ES)
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