Volvo Cars has announced that it has made a strategic investment in Bcomp, an innovative Swiss firm that develops high-performance lightweight materials based on natural fibres.
The investment is being carried out through Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Volvo's venture capital arm.
The innovative flax-based fibre is utilised on the back of the headrests and the footrests of the Volvo Recharge Concept Bcomp uses flax fibres to produce its innovative lightweight material. The material offers significant savings in terms of weight, energy use and emissions versus regular plastic parts, and also opens up new surface textures for designing the interiors of future cars.
Volvo already has experience with Bcomp's materials, which have seen use in the Volvo Cars Concept Recharge. Bcomp's calculations show that compared to regular plastic parts, the natural fibre-based composites are up to 50% lighter, use up to 70% less plastic and generate up to 62% lower CO2 emissions.
The material is utilised in the concept car's lower storage areas, the back of the headrests and the footrests. While on the exterior of the car, the front and rear bumpers as well as the sill mouldings consist of flax composites.
Volvo Cars is actively exploring the use of natural fibre composites in its next generation of pure electric cars, while its strategic affiliate Polestar also aims to use Bcomp's materials in forthcoming models.
The investment is being carried out through Volvo Cars Tech Fund, Volvo's venture capital arm.
Volvo already has experience with Bcomp's materials, which have seen use in the Volvo Cars Concept Recharge. Bcomp's calculations show that compared to regular plastic parts, the natural fibre-based composites are up to 50% lighter, use up to 70% less plastic and generate up to 62% lower CO2 emissions.
The material is utilised in the concept car's lower storage areas, the back of the headrests and the footrests. While on the exterior of the car, the front and rear bumpers as well as the sill mouldings consist of flax composites.
Volvo Cars is actively exploring the use of natural fibre composites in its next generation of pure electric cars, while its strategic affiliate Polestar also aims to use Bcomp's materials in forthcoming models.
