Don't look if you love intact BMWs.
Automakers must build a lot of test vehicles on the road to launching a new vehicle, and the reality is they must all come to a crushing end. Preproduction vehicles—the ones that run around with instrumentation or rack up miles on test tracks in brutal heat or cold, or which sacrifice their sheetmetal in a crash test—cannot be sold when their work is done. But not all of their components end up in the crusher.
We visited the BMW Recycling and Dismantling Center near Munich for a firsthand look at what the luxury German automaker does with its preproduction vehicles, including motorcycles, when they have completed their service life and must meet their maker.The center opened in 1994, taking in about 400 vehicles. Today it deals with 10,000 vehicles a year—the maximum it licensed to accept—from around the world.
European Union legislation requires 95 percent of the weight of a vehicle must be recovered and California could soon follow suit. Engineers working on new vehicles must choose materials with end-of-life recovery in mind.A red sticker is slapped on the electric vehicles—about 30 percent now—so the employees know to remove and salvage the battery pack before the vehicle continues on its path to the compacter.
If the overall pack does not register as having life left, employees test it cell by cell. The individual modules are removed and put in a special box to be transported to a battery recycling plant. The EU requires 50 percent of the weight of the battery be recycled and new legislation will set targets for lithium recycling.Once the battery is removed, the vehicle continues on to Inspection to see if there are other usable parts that can be salvaged.
The vehicle proceeds to the draining area to remove all fluids: gasoline, diesel, transmission fluid, washer fluid and more. It takes 20-30 minutes to bleed it dry. All the liquids are saved separately. The fuel ends up in the gas tanks of cars of the living.In the dismantling area, we watched the engine being removed from an X3. It will be sold as a certified used part. Batteries of all shapes and sizes—even the one in the key fob—are removed.The savage part is the final dismantling by a 14.
Österreich Neuesten Nachrichten, Österreich Schlagzeilen
Similar News:Sie können auch ähnliche Nachrichten wie diese lesen, die wir aus anderen Nachrichtenquellen gesammelt haben.
Talking about how talk to people you don’t knowThis may not surprise those of you who know me, but I’m one of those people who enjoys short, impromptu conversations with people I don’t know.
Weiterlesen »
Don’t Let the Sun Valley M&A Mirage Delude YouAt Allen & Co.’s annual moguls conference in Sun Valley this week, the summer heat will make you think you’re seeing big deals just down the road ... but you’re not
Weiterlesen »
Even Lawyers Don’t Understand Legalese, New Study ShowsLawyers and nonlawyers alike prefer contracts written in plain English
Weiterlesen »
Don't Get Deflated: Best Portable Air Compressors of 2023, TestedWe rigorously tested a slew of portable air compressors to see which one can best help you tackle almost any project with the pneumatic efficiency you deserve.
Weiterlesen »
Trump fumes at Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds: ‘I don’t invite her to events’Former President Donald Trump dinged Iowa Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds Monday following reports that she’s been warming up to her Florida counterpart, Ron DeSantis. In classic Trump fashion, …
Weiterlesen »
Editorial: Don’t pack the Supreme Court, reform it with transparency and ethics rulesAs Americans reel from the destabilizing impact of a U.S. Supreme Court intent on tearing down decades of precedent in a matter of years, the question is what happens when a court with lifetime app…
Weiterlesen »