BMW continues the tradition of seeking innovative new technologies to enhance the ownership experience by exploring opportunities to address relevant concerns of their client base.The BMW driver can generally be characterized as forward thinking and enthusiastic.A recent article at Green Car Congress highlights a technology that speaks to both the environmentally conscious and the enthusiast.Using an innovative new technology for a one-piece dashboard in the 7-series, which can reasonably be expected to find it ‘s way into the rest of the product line, BMW has reduced the weight of this large interior piece by 20% while employing a recyclable material.

BMW’s choice of Borealis’ 20% LGF-PP grade to replace its previous two-component dashboard construction has secured a number of advantages in addition to weight reduction:Nepol GB215HP gives significantly better warpage behavior and therefore improved processing and lower system costs for the BMW team.The new single material solution requires less material to achieve the mechanical properties of high stiffness and strength, and impact performance required for the dashboard carrier, adding to the overall production cost-efficiency and component performance.The use of recyclable PP contributes to raising the environmental profile of the 7 Series, with the general vehicle weight saving ultimately lowering fuel consumption.

The complete article can be found here.