- Partnership with Bcomp reduces environmental impression via implementation of Swiss firm’s revolutionary flax-based ampliTex™
- Proprietary cellulose-based Simplifyber formulation employed in Kia Idea EV2’s dashboard and door panels to scale back the usage of plastic
- Sturdy, bio-degradable inside parts flawlessly grown and coloured utilizing Biomyc mushroom materials
- Kia’s Idea EV2 is a B-segment electrical SUV that embodies Kia’s forward-thinking strategy to city mobility
Kia Company right now introduced particulars of collaborations with chosen cutting-edge supplies firms, the real-world advantages of which have been demonstrated via the creation of environmentally acutely aware parts for the model’s new Idea EV2.
Working with companions together with Bcomp, Simplifyber and Biomyc, Kia goals to additional speed up the event and manufacturing of bio-produced supplies, which may exchange generally used modern synthetics – equivalent to plastic – in its future autos.
“The industry-leading experience of our companions in bio-based composites allowed us to redefine what’s attainable in automotive interiors with the Idea EV2,” mentioned Nathalie Bucher, Senior Designer CMF at Kia Europe Design Middle. “As we purpose to convey revolutionary materials options to the mass market, ongoing collaborations with firms like Biomyc, Simplifyber and Bcomp be certain that each materials aligns completely with our imaginative and prescient, reinforcing our dedication to creating trendy, environmentally conscious, and high-quality autos for the long run.”
Unveiled at Kia’s EV Day in Barcelona, the Idea EV2 is a B-segment electrical SUV that embodies Kia’s forward-thinking strategy to city mobility. Designed for an lively, linked way of life, the Idea EV2 is a imaginative and prescient of how Kia might redefine expectations for compact electrical autos, with its spacious, multi-configurable inside, and an aesthetic that seamlessly integrates type with perform.
Kia x Bcomp
Kia has partnered with Swiss cleantech firm Bcomp to deploy its revolutionary ampliTex™ materials into key parts of the Idea EV2, particularly within the again seat shell and entrance seat substructures. Constructing upon Bcomp’s earlier collaboration with Kia on its Idea EV3 and Idea EV4 fashions, this partnership continues to display the potential for large-scale implementation of bio-based composites, paving the best way for wider adoption in manufacturing autos.
By changing typical artificial supplies with ampliTex™, the Idea EV2 prioritizes accountable design decisions with out compromising on efficiency or aesthetics. Delivering circularity by nature, ampliTex™ additionally provides end-of-life advantages, supporting a extra environmentally acutely aware strategy to automotive inside design, together with the flexibility to be recycled into composite pellets for additional reuse.
The distinctive properties of ampliTex™, derived from flax fibres, provide distinctive lightweighting advantages, enhanced sturdiness, and a refined aesthetic that elevates the inside expertise.
Bcomp additionally labored intently with the CMF designers at Kia Europe Design Middle to develop a customized dark-blue end, enhancing the car’s gorgeous visible enchantment with a vibrant colorway.
“Our collaboration with Kia on the Idea EV2 is one other step towards the mainstream adoption of pure fibre composites in automotive interiors,” mentioned Nicolas Samson, Gross sales Supervisor at Bcomp. “Kia’s forward-thinking strategy to mobility aligns completely with our mission to push the boundaries of revolutionary inside options, and collectively we’re proving that such supplies can improve each car aesthetics and performance at scale.”
Kia x Simplifyber
Kia’s newest collaboration with Simplifyber, a number one innovator in bio-based materials expertise, integrates additional environmentally acutely aware inside parts into the Idea EV2.
Simplifyber developed and produced the Idea EV2’s dashboard and door panels utilizing its next-generation proprietary cellulose-based formulation, Simplifyber Fybron™ – a cloth created from a mixture of sources together with wooden, paper and/or recycled textiles. This collaboration marks Kia as the primary automotive model to use Simplifyber Fybron™ in car design.
The formulation used for the Idea EV2’s inside consists of 56 % FSC-certified cellulose fibers (31 % wooden pulp, 25 % lyocell), 21 % FSC-certified pure rubber latex, 12 % bio-based binders, and 11 % artificial fibers.
The liquid-based manufacturing course of eliminates the necessity for spinning or weaving, with the fabric produced on-site at Simplifyber’s facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. The ensuing parts arriving at Kia manufacturing amenities already within the desired form and with the proper texture, minimizing manufacturing offcuts and considerably lowering meeting time.
This materials innovation permits for each smooth and versatile, and inflexible parts delivering the required sturdiness to be created on the identical meeting line, showcasing the dexterity of the corporate’s manufacturing system.
“Simplifyber is extremely happy to be part of Kia’s future in resource-efficient inside innovation,” commented Maria Intscher-Owrang, CEO and Co-Founding father of Simplifyber. “In offering cost-effective and environmentally aware methods of changing plastics inside the Idea EV2 dashboard, Kia is main the {industry} on this collaboration. Our supplies are a step ahead into new design territory, enabling higher manufacturing effectivity at a lower cost – and Kia is displaying how that may be completed.”
Kia x Biomyc
Kia’s partnership with award-winning supplies design agency Biomyc incorporates sturdy, bio-degradable parts grown by the Bulgarian firm as a part of the Idea EV2’s inside. Crafted from mushroom materials (hemp and mycelium), the partnership additionally employs a sophisticated coloration course of that achieves Kia’s specified Pantone shades exactly.
Tasked with making a purposeful mycelium element for the automotive to function each insulation and a visually impactful design ingredient, Biomyc designed a posh mildew and developed a technique to develop the half with a flawless mycelium pores and skin.
The corporate additionally performed a analysis challenge to discover ecologically conscious coatings, paints, and components able to modifying the colour of the mushroom-based materials. Every choice was rigorously chosen primarily based on standards together with provide and total environmental impression.
As a part of the challenge, Biomyc created greater than 180 samples that includes completely different coatings, paints, and components. The outcomes are usually not solely seen inside the Idea EV2 however have been compiled right into a complete doc to function a future reference for the Kia design division.
“It’s an honor to be chosen as an inside innovation associate to a model as forward-thinking as Kia,” mentioned Atanas Enev, Founder & Lead Designer at Biomyc. “Kia’s dedication to pioneering environmentally acutely aware supplies in automotive design made this a great collaboration. Its daring imaginative and prescient aligned completely with our experience in mushroom materials, from superior molding and coloration to speedy prototyping. Collectively, we’ve proven that revolutionary supplies can meet automotive requirements and transfer from an thought to a real-world idea with out compromise. It’s a daring step for mycelium materials adoption.”
