By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
The Auto Magazine
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
    Auto ShowsShow More
    Driving Trade Forward: AfCFTA, AGOA,BRICS and the Tariffs – All On The Menu At Automechanika CEO Breakfast
    May 9, 2025
    Toyota Expands Commitment to Hydrogen Society with Fleet, Infrastructure and Next-Gen System Debut
    April 30, 2025
    Ford is Ready to Tackle the Simola Hillclimb with Over 6 000 Horsepower
    April 30, 2025
    LDV (Maxus as Known in China) Makes a Bold Statement at Shanghai Motor Show
    April 30, 2025
    Upcoming OMODA C3 redefines the crossover with cyber-mecha aesthetics
    April 29, 2025
  • Bikes
    BikesShow More
    BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R 1300 RS
    May 2, 2025
    BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R 1300 RT
    April 30, 2025
    Honda NC750X Named Winner in 2025 Red Dot Design Award
    April 10, 2025
    The Panigale V4 honoured with the prestigious iF Design Award
    March 30, 2025
    BMW Motorrad presents the new BMW R 12 G/S
    March 29, 2025
  • News
    NewsShow More
    Lucid Strengthens Leadership Team as Company Prepares for Growth
    May 8, 2025
    GWM Sells Over 100,000 Vehicles in April, Up 5.55% Year-on-Year
    May 8, 2025
    296 LMGT3s head to Belgium for 2025 6 Hours of Spa
    May 8, 2025
    Toyota Announces April Through March 2025 Financial Results
    May 8, 2025
    Mercedes-Benz 450 SEL 6.9: “The best car” of its time turns 50
    May 8, 2025
  • Concepts
    ConceptsShow More
    Hyundai Motor and Plus Unveil Concept for Autonomous Hydrogen Freight Ecosystem at ACT Expo 202
    May 2, 2025
    Hyundai Motor Unveils the new IONIQ 6 and IONIQ 6 N Line
    April 5, 2025
    Kia and LG Electronics Partner to Showcase New PBV Concepts for Work and Play
    April 4, 2025
    BMW Group reveals revolutionary electric drive concept with 800V technology for the Neue Klasse
    February 24, 2025
    Audi unveils Q6 e-tron offroad concept
    January 28, 2025
  • EVs
    EVsShow More
    Enviro Automotive Unleashes Cutting-Edge 4×4 EVs and Unprecedented Price Reductions
    May 9, 2025
    Mercedes-Benz and The Mobility House Launch Europe-Wide Partnership for Smart Home Charging
    May 9, 2025
    Coming soon: the new Volvo XC70
    May 8, 2025
    Isuzu begins production of D-MAX EV pickup truck in Thailand
    May 2, 2025
    Rethinking the way we perceive, design and use electric LCVs with Renault Trafic, Goelette and Estafette
    May 2, 2025
  • Motosport
    MotosportShow More
    TOYOTA GAZOO Racing gears up for gruelling gravel rallies
    May 9, 2025
    Porsche Penske Motorsport aims to maintain IMSA winning streak in the USA
    May 9, 2025
    BEHIND THE SCENES: ARCHIE RUTHERFORD ON WHAT IT TAKES TO BRING THE W2RC TO SOUTH AFRICA
    May 9, 2025
    TGR ready for South African Safari Rally as W2RC resumes
    May 8, 2025
    Vantage GT3 in the hunt for glory at Spa-Francorchamps and Laguna Seca
    May 8, 2025
  • Trucks & Buses
    Trucks & BusesShow More
    Successful together: representatives of the 12 project partners of the ATLAS-L4 project at the closing event in Penzing with Ernst Stöckl-Pukall, Head of the “Digitalization and Industry 4.0” department at the Federal Ministry of Economics (first row, second from right) and Georg Grüneißl, Head of Product Strategy and Planning at MAN Truck & Bus, representing the project consortium leader (first row, center)
    Goal achieved: the driverless truck on the road becomes reality
    May 8, 2025
    Volvo’s gas-powered trucks on the rise – enabling up to 100% CO2 reduction
    May 5, 2025
    Mercedes-Benz Trucks aims to win a GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS title with eActros 600
    May 2, 2025
    MAN again with rising order intake
    April 29, 2025
    Volvo reaches milestone with 5,000 electric trucks sold worldwide
    April 29, 2025
  • Reviews
    ReviewsShow More
    Sporty meets efficiency: the new Audi A6 plug-in hybrid models
    May 7, 2025
    THE ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM AT 100 YEARS
    May 4, 2025
    Introducing the 2026 Lucid Gravity Grand Touring
    April 16, 2025
    TGR to Launch Evolved GR Yaris
    April 14, 2025
    Connected development: the Audi A6 Avant as the perfect travel companion
    April 9, 2025
  • Tech
    TechShow More
    Hyundai Motor Group Delivers Enhanced In-Car Experience Through Equinix Data Centers Globally
    May 8, 2025
    Artificial intelligence as a quality booster
    April 28, 2025
    Kia Introduces AI Voice Assistant to Enhance Connectivity and Driver Experience
    April 16, 2025
    Bentley employs pioneering AI technology in the quest for leather perfection
    April 15, 2025
    Bandai Namco, AirConsole and Volkswagen bring PAC-MAN into the vehicle
    April 15, 2025
Hot News
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing gears up for gruelling gravel rallies
Enviro Automotive Unleashes Cutting-Edge 4×4 EVs and Unprecedented Price Reductions
Driving Trade Forward: AfCFTA, AGOA,BRICS and the Tariffs – All On The Menu At Automechanika CEO Breakfast
Porsche Penske Motorsport aims to maintain IMSA winning streak in the USA
Mercedes-Benz and The Mobility House Launch Europe-Wide Partnership for Smart Home Charging
Motosport

DS AUTOMOBILES DRIVERS IN THE POINTS FOR THE FIRST E-PRIX OF THE FORMULA E SEASON 10

Latest News

Volvo Cars starts production of best-selling EX30 electric SUV in Europe

Latest News

Volkswagen Group strengthens HR team in key positions

Motosport

The SF-25 revealed

Font ResizerAa
The Auto MagazineThe Auto Magazine
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
  • Bikes
  • News
  • Concepts
  • EVs
  • Motosport
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Reviews
  • Tech
Search
  • Home
  • Auto Shows
  • Bikes
  • News
  • Concepts
  • EVs
  • Motosport
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Reviews
  • Tech
Follow US
Crafted by Intellegere Media. © 2024 The Auto Magazine. All rights reserved.
Latest News

BMW Group Recycling and Dismantling Centre (RDC): 30 years of setting the pace for the circular economy

Many years of experience, consistent advancement of processes and international knowledge transfer: BMW Group as a pioneer of the circular economy in automotive engineering. Halfway point success in the Car2Car research project: efficient recycling of steel, aluminium, copper, glass and plastics.

Itumeleng Garebatshabe
Last updated: September 11, 2024 13:47
By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
895 Views
8 Min Read
Share
8 Min Read
SHARE

With the aim of advancing circularity in the automotive industry, the BMW Group has undertaken important groundwork in the recycling of vehicles at the end of their useful life. For 30 years, the BMW Group’s Recycling and Dismantling Centre (RDC) has been developing and testing processes to achieve significant advances in the recycling of parts and reusable materials. The expertise gained at the RDC is shared with a global network in the recycling industry and helps to promote the establishment of a circular economy in the automotive industry. It also feeds into the BMW Group’s product design process, ensuring that a new model’s recyclability is considered from the outset.

Each year, the RDC recycles several thousand vehicles, most of which are pre-series vehicles that have been used for testing and cannot be sold to end customers. These are dismantled using a standardised process that focuses on identifying reusable series components and materials suitable for recycling.

- Advertisement -
Ad image

Centre of excellence for recycling provides the template for the entire industry.
What began in 1994 as a new, company-owned recycling facility has transformed over three decades into a true centre of excellence for vehicle recycling. In view of new regulations and the BMW Group’s ambitious targets, the RDC will play an even more important role going forward: the expertise it has built is key to further improving the recyclability of vehicles.

The BMW Group was instrumental in setting up the IDIS (International Dismantling Information System) platform, on which the RDC publishes its data and findings. These are then available free of charge to recycling companies around the world. Some 3,000 organisations in 32 countries currently use the joint recycling database to learn how to dismantle recyclable components cost-effectively and recover valuable materials efficiently.

Developing and improving recycling processes is part of the effort to reduce the environmental footprint, while conserving resources also helps to reduce emissions.

Today’s scrap is tomorrow’s raw material.
Vehicle recycling at the RDC begins with the controlled release of the restraint systems and the pumping out of all fluids. A proprietary BMW Group process is used to neutralise the pyrotechnics in the airbags, among other things. Oil is also removed from the shock absorbers using a specially developed device.

During the subsequent dismantling phase, the focus is initially on recycling individual components. Functional components in mint condition and with series status are not disposed of but passed on to registered dealers for resale. During the mechanical dismantling of the rest of the vehicle, certain materials, such as the copper contained in the wiring harnesses, are separated using a specially designed excavator. Once the engine block and gearbox have been removed, the remaining vehicle is pressed and shredded at an external recycling facility.

The targeted dismantling of metals ensures that today’s scrap becomes tomorrow’s raw material – to the greatest possible extent and in the best possible quality. This is not only important from an environmental point of view, but also from a financial one: just like copper, metals used in the powertrain generate particularly high revenues. Separate dismantling of the catalytic converter is also economically efficient because of the valuable precious metals it contains.

Car2Car: Rigorous research for efficient recycling.
The BMW Group also supports external research efforts into how innovative recycling processes can conserve resources and increase economic efficiency. In the Car2Car research project, subsidised by the Federal German government, the RDC provides both expertise and end-of-life vehicles. Over the past year, the project has developed methods that make it possible to utilise a much greater share of recyclable materials from end-of-life vehicles in the production of new cars, especially steel, aluminium, copper, glass and plastics.

The BMW Group has taken on the role of consortium leader in the Car2Car consortium and is collaborating with members of the recycling industry, raw material processing companies and scientists. The mid-term review of the project shows great interim progress in evaluating the economic and environmental impacts of different recycling processes. The exchange of knowledge and collaborative analysis have led to new perspectives on the recycling of residual materials, providing a solid foundation on which to build innovative processes. For example, scientists and industry experts are jointly designing semi-automated dismantling processes that will enable the cost-effective separation of recyclable materials.

Circular design for a closed material cycle.
Any knowledge gained at the RDC about the recyclability of components and materials is already incorporated into the BMW Group’s product development. By applying the principles of Re:Think, Re:Duce, Re:Use and Re:Cycle, the BMW Group aims to ensure that vehicles are available as a source of raw materials for new cars at the end of their useful life, which in Germany is on average 21 years. A key factor in these efforts is the use of mono-materials instead of composites, as they are easier to recycle thanks to their greater purity.

Production processes at the BMW Group’s plants around the world are also being revised based on the RDC’s findings: in new vehicle production, preference is given to methods that facilitate the dismantling of components and the separation of materials by type. For example, gluing has been replaced by innovative joining solutions.

Closed-loop recycling for high-voltage batteries.
As electromobility becomes more widespread, the recycling of high-voltage batteries is increasingly becoming another top priority. For many years, the RDC has been working in partnership with industry and academia to develop innovative methods to recycle BEV batteries.

Once again, the RDC is setting the pace on the road to circularity. Over the past three decades, it has repeatedly supported the development of new models, materials, and technologies by providing advances in recycling. Now, in the age of electromobility, the RDC has taken on the additional task of gathering in-depth expertise on the reuse of valuable resources and making it widely available to the recycling industry. In this way, the RDC is consistently expanding its role as a centre of excellence for vehicle recycling. At a time when the circular economy is becoming increasingly important for the future of the automotive industry, the RDC’s expertise and skills are in greater demand than ever.

TAGGED:BMW GroupInternational Dismantling Information SystemRecycling and Dismantling Centre

Sign Up For Daily Newsletter

Stay Updated! Get the latest breaking news delivered straight to your inbox.

By signing up, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.
Share This Article
Facebook Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn VKontakte Telegram Email Copy Link Print
Share
ByItumeleng Garebatshabe
Editor
Follow:
Itumeleng is the Managing Editor of The Auto Magazine. He is a tech and car enthusiast

Follow US

FacebookLike
XFollow
InstagramFollow
YoutubeSubscribe
TiktokFollow
TelegramFollow
Google NewsFollow
LinkedInFollow
- Advertisement -
Ad imageAd image

You Might Also Like

Latest News

BMW Group maintains BEV growth path in challenging market situation in 2024

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
January 13, 2025
Electric Vehicles

Fully electric and made in Germany: The next generation MINI Countryman

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
April 6, 2023
Latest News

BMW Group and Rimac Technology agree long-term partnership.

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
April 9, 2024
Latest News

BMW Group upgrades FY guidance after strong first half-year

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
August 3, 2023
Latest News

£600m investment for all-electric MINI production in the UK

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
September 11, 2023
Latest News

BMW Group and Toyota Motor Corporation take collaboration to the next level to offer Fuel Cell Electric Vehicle

By Itumeleng Garebatshabe
September 9, 2024

The Auto Magazine

  • Advertise
  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Cookie Policy
  • Bikes
  • Electric Vehicles
  • Trucks & Buses
  • Auto Shows
  • Latest News
  • Motosport

Made by Intellegere Media. All rights reserved. 2023

Don't not sell my personal information
Join Us!
Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news, podcasts etc.

Zero spam, Unsubscribe at any time.
adbanner