New Mercedes made from old tires

New Mercedes made from old tires

In cooperation with the chemical giant BASF and the start-up Pyrum Innovations AG, Mercedes-Benz developed a material cycle that, for the first time, enables the production of circular plastic with virgin plastic properties for technically sophisticated and safety-relevant Mercedes-Benz vehicle components. The starting materials are pyrolysis oil, which is obtained from used tires, and certified biomethane from agricultural waste. The first components manufactured using this process will be bow door handles in the S-Class and EQE, which will go into series production this year.

“We want to chemically recycle several hundred tons of used tires from Mercedes-Benz vehicles every year and return the resulting plastic material to our new vehicles,” says Markus Schäfer, Member of the Board of Management of Mercedes-Benz Group AG, Chief Technology Officer, Development & Purchasing. The premium manufacturer is pursuing the goal of increasingly decoupling resource consumption from growth in production output and wants to increase the proportion of recycled materials in its car fleet to an average of 40 percent by 2030.

For the first time, the innovative recycled plastic has the same properties as virgin plastic made from fossil raw materials. This means it can also be used as a short-term drop-in solution in the ongoing series. At the same time, it meets Mercedes-Benz's high quality requirements - particularly with regard to paintability and crash safety. With these properties, the process offers the possibility of replacing a large number of components made of primary plastic in the vehicle.