Students from the Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences showcased a new ‘Biofore Concept Car’, which utilises renewable biomaterials in place of plastics, at the Geneva International Motor Show on 4 March 2014.

Students working to ‘significantly improve the overall environmental performance of car manufacturing’, designed the car’s interior using biomaterials from pulp, paper and timber manufacturer UPM.

According to the project partners , the car was designed to ‘redefin[e] the passenger car as a more responsible option for transportation’.

Biofore concept car details

Specifically, the concept car makes use of UPM’s Grada thermoformable wood material (which ‘revitialises the forming of wood’ with heat and pressure) in the passenger compartment floor, centre console, display panel cover and door panels.

The material was reportedly chosen for its ‘unique forming properties [that] enable high quality ecological designs which are also visually appealing’.

The front mask, side skirts, dashboard, door panels and interior panels were made from UPM Formi, a cellulose biocomposite for injection moulding, extrusion and thermoforming production.

Consisting of ‘renewable fibres and plastic’, the material is said to be non-toxic, odourless and uniform in quality, and have a smaller carbon footprint than traditional plastic.

All self-adhesive label materials used to mark spare parts as well as in the interior and exterior design of the car were made from UPM Raflatac, a solvent-free adhesive.

The vehicle’s 1.2 litre low-emission diesel engine also runs on UPM’s wood-based renewable diesel UPM BioVerno, which the designers said ‘significantly reduce[s] greenhouse gas emissions compared to fossil fuels’.

Further, due to the use of UPM’s biomaterials, the car is approximately 150 kilogrammes lighter than its equivalents, which the designers say results in lower fuel consumption.

Striving for a more resource efficient future

Speaking of the project, Pekka Hautala, Project Director from Metropolia University said: "Sustainability is a major subject globally. We were excited to be able to design and build a vehicle that would demonstrate that already today we have biomaterials that are a real alternative to traditional oil-based materials.

"During the past four years of building the Biofore Concept Car, our students have come to see that these biomaterials are of high quality, durable and also offer new design opportunities."

Elisa Nilsson, Vice President of Brand and Communications at UPM, added: "The Biofore Concept Car showcases the potential of UPM’s biomaterials. Not only for the automotive industry, but also for various other end-uses including design, acoustics - a wide range of industrial and consumer applications. The possibilities are endless.

"According to our Biofore strategy, we create value from renewable raw material - wood from responsibly managed forests - and strive for a more resource efficient future. The Biofore Concept Car is a fine manifestation of this. We are proud of the cooperation with Metropolia’s automotive engineering and industrial design students, and what we have achieved together."

Find out more about the Biofore Concept Car.