Better alternatives exist, particularly Amplitex.
Carbon fiber is arguably the most popular way of increasing rigidity and strength while minimizing weight gains, but it's not the only strong lightweight material out there. Various manufacturers have experimented with flax fibers, as seen on a Porsche racecar in 2020 and Polestar's Precept concept. One of the leading companies in this field is Bcomp, and it says that its ampliTex material is the future of lightweight cars.
Naturally, it's still a long way from being used in mainstream applications. Still, we could be closer to that than ever, as Bcomp has just announced that it has completed an investment round that has attracted commitments from companies including Volvo and Porsche, and even BMW.
As a matter of fact, BMW has been using Bcomp's ampliTex material and powerRibs technologies in its racecars since 2019, as seen on its Formula E racer and the more recent BMW M4 DTM and GT racing cars. Porsche's Cayman GT4 CS MR was another German track car to benefit but the Stuttgart-based automaker also implemented some of Bcomp's products in the Mission R concept.
Clearly, motorsport is where the company is seeing most applications of its products, but as a greener alternative to carbon fiber, Bcomp's flax fiber composites could well be considered for mass-market introduction as companies look to reduce their carbon footprint.
As for the investment round, the Swiss startup reports that it generated around $35 million from various companies. This money will be used to expand and start bringing these novel technologies to market.
"The strong interest from our targeted large-scale mobility markets is clear," said Christian Fischer, Bcomp CEO. "Now is the time to scale our production and deploy our global strategy. We are very excited to open this new chapter with the great support of our new partners, developing Bcomp as the global leader of sustainable lightweight material solutions, and making our contribution to the circular economy."
With EVs squashing the scales thanks to heavy battery packs, anything that can reduce weight should be explored. Hopefully, we'll get to see some mainstream automotive applications soon, preferably with some paint applied.
Sebastian jumped straight into the workplace after high school. Various vocations in sales, logistics, and project management helped him buy and modify several cars over the years, while his passion for motoring journalism saw him contribute to local print media while running car enthusiast clubs. But in 2019, the opportunity to join CarBuzz arrived. Originally handling reviews of new cars, his love of the technical led to writing detailed blog posts on various aspects of car care and ownership. He currently handles news sourcing, writing, and editing, along with social media management and the clarification of patent lingo. In his spare time, he's either reading, driving, or looking to collect more BMW Performance parts for the E82 and E9X platforms.