BIOMOTIVE
Advanced BIObased polyurethanes and fibres for the autoMOTIVE industry with increased environmental sustainability
Advanced BIObased polyurethanes and fibres for the autoMOTIVE industry with increased environmental sustainability
Automotive manufacturers are under growing pressure to either use less fuel or go further on same battery charge. Much of this improved performance will come from making cars lighter – lightweighting – i.e. decreasing the weight they need to move. Every 10% reduction in vehicle weight delivers a 5-7 percent reduction in fuel usage.
As a result, manufacturers are showing increasing interest in lightweight material; a noticeable fraction (around 20%) of modern cars is made of plastic and such an amount is expected to increase thanks to the recognized properties of polymers in absorbing sound and vibration. Despite these advantages, there is no single bio-based plastic that provides the aesthetics and haptics that the automotive manufacturers seek in tandem with the technical properties (shock resistance, heat resistance, fire resistance and weight reduction) they require.
The BIOMOTIVE project aims to demonstrate, in relevant industrial environments, the production of innovative and advanced bio-based materials (i.e. thermoplastic polyurathanes, 2-k thermoset polyurethane foams and regenerated natural fibres) specifically for the automotive industry. The improved performance of these materials within the automotive sector, will allow massive penetration of bio-based polyurethanes and regenerated fibres into additional “large volume” markets.
The BIOMOTIVE project has a number of objectives:
BIOMOTIVE expects the project will deliver the following impacts:
Biomotive project
EU-funded BIOMOTIVE project seeking to develop bio-based products for automotive
4 September 2020
The specialised news outlet Sustainable BUS features BBI JU BIOMOTIVE project. The article explains how the promising results from the project might be available on the market at the end of 2021. Read more
Car parts from weeds - the future of green motoring?
19 July 2019
A recent BBC article, covering different ways of making car manufacturing more sustainable, features the BBI JU BIOMOTIVE project as a positive example. The project is working to reduce the carbon footprint of cars by using bioplastics, which are more sustainable than the fossil-based materials used so far. Read more