Recycled content counts for little if parts cannot be separated, which is why Kia and BASF are designing the seat for disassembly
Hyundai Motor Company and Kia have joined BASF and Alten Korea on a concept seat for the Kia EV3 Study Car 2.0, built to be dismantled and sorted by material at end of life. Recycled and bio-based BASF materials run through its cushioning, upholstery and structure.
Alten Korea, an engineering services firm, shaped the partners’ goals into one seat architecture. Its design tests how construction and assembly choices affect later sorting.
“Study Car 2.0 gives us a practical environment in which to examine end-of-life considerations during vehicle and component development, rather than after the design has been completed,” Jongkook Lee, Vice President, Hyundai Motor Group, said. “This seat project helps us assess how material selection, assembly methods and future dismantling requirements interact within a complex interior system.”
The headrest uses Elastollan thermoplastic polyurethane, partly bio-based and foamed with Comtech Chemical’s patented Whistling process. Elastoflex W cushion and backrest foam has recycled post-consumer content, while Haptex synthetic leather from bio-circular feedstock covers the seat.
An Ultramid CR RC4 polyamide back cover also uses recycled post-consumer material. Swapping the metal back frame for the same polyamide would merge the two parts.
Earlier Hyundai Motor Group and BASF concepts include the i-flow in 2010, the RN30 in 2016 and the first EV3 Study Car in 2024. Built on the EV3 platform, the new car applies end-of-life design more widely.
Source: BASF
Source: www.automotiveworld.com
