#HTE

BMW’s Designers Addressing How a Recyclable Car Seat Can be Designed

With Munich IAA Mobility (formerly the Frankfurt Auto Show) in full swing, I’ve been wading through a lot of kooky concept car renderings, trying to find a single design element with actual substance.

For instance, BMW’s i Vision Circular is a compact car designed around the concept of recyclability. Some of the presentation is just renderings featuring call-outs highlighting recycled content…

…while other parts feature a lot of mood-board-like renderings that convey about as much functional information as an avant-garde fashion show.

But finally, I did actually find something noteworthy in this seemingly wacky seat:

Here the designers have at least taken a stab at a concept for how fully-recyclable automotive seating can be designed:

“The BMW i Vision Circular features a future-proof seating concept that uses only a few materials. The upholstery is made of recycled plastic which rests in an anodized aluminum frame. The back of the slim front seat shell is made of recycled plastic in a terrazzo look. There is a quick-release fastener for disassembly, allowing for metal and textile to be easily separated and reused according to type.”

I desperately want to see more on this. Is the framing designed in such a way that the single shown fastener is holding the entire assembly together (and what is the logic behind making it “quick-release”)? Can this design support airbag modules? How would these elements work with a seat that actually had reclining functionality?

These answers, of course, don’t exist yet.