[Aika Auto Industry News Original]
Recently, the BMW Group announced that from 2024, the BMW and MINI brands will use cast aluminium wheels produced by 100% green energy. This initiative is particularly applicable to the high-energy-intensive electrolytic production process of wheel casting and its raw material aluminum, which is expected to reduce carbon emissions by up to 500,000 tons per year.
It is estimated that the BMW Group purchases about 10 million light alloy wheels every year, of which 95% of the raw materials are cast aluminum. The carbon emissions from the production of these wheels account for about 5% of the BMW Group's entire supply chain. The use of green energy will make its production process more sustainable and reduce carbon emissions by more than 50%.
By 2023, the new generation of MINI COUNTRYMAN will be the first to use light alloy wheels made of 70% recycled aluminum. The use of 100% green energy and 70% recycled materials in the production process can reduce carbon emissions by up to 80% compared to traditional manufacturing processes. By 2030, the BMW Group plans to reduce carbon emissions from the supply chain by 20% compared to 2019. The use of 100% green energy in the production of cast aluminium hubs and the systematic increase in the proportion of recycled aluminium.
In addition, since 2021, the BMW Group has procured aluminium produced using solar power from the UAE and processed it in the light metal foundry at the BMW Group's Landshut plant for the manufacture of body and driveline components. The 43,000 tonnes of aluminium produced by Green Energy, procured from Dubai, meets the half-year production needs of the light metal foundry. This light metal foundry has won numerous awards for its innovative and sustainable production processes and has been certified by the International Non-Profit Aluminium Management Initiative (ASI) for the responsible and sustainable use of aluminium.
Editor's Summary: Nowadays, in order to reduce carbon emissions, major car companies are not only developing electric vehicle models, but also trying to reduce carbon emissions in the production and manufacturing process. Now that BMW has announced that it will use cleaner energy to produce rims, it is expected that it is only the beginning, and other production processes should be reformed in the future.
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