BMW to adopt green technology in aluminium wheel production by 2024



The BMW Group has announced that it will use cast aluminium wheels produced with 100% green technology for its BMW and MINI brands from 2024 onwards. The transition applies, in particular, to the energy-intensive electrolysis process used in producing aluminium and the wheel-casting process.

At this moment, wheels account for about 5% of supply chain CO2 emissions. The BMW Group procures about 10 million light-alloy wheels per year; 95% of these are made from cast aluminium.

“We have already signed more than 400 contracts with our suppliers, including suppliers of wheels and aluminium, requiring them to use green technology,” said the management of BMW AG.

This is because aluminium has good recycling properties, making it easier to melt down old wheels as part of the circular economy. This eliminates the need for energy-intensive electrolysis to produce the primary raw material.

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MINI will become a pioneer in this field in 2023 when it begins using light-alloy cast wheels made from 70% secondary aluminium in the all-new MINI Countryman.

A full transition to green technology for the production of cast aluminium wheels is another step towards reducing carbon emissions in the BMW Group supplier network. The aim is to reduce emissions throughout the supply chain by 20% by 2030.

Since 2021, the BMW Group has sourced aluminium from the United Arab Emirates manufactured exclusively using electricity obtained from solar power. The aluminium produced in Dubai is then processed in the light metal foundry at BMW Group Plant Landshut, Germany where it is used to manufacture body and drive train components.